Complications of Love
by Blood Rose Vampiress
Summary: Steve, tired of his guards, snuck off one night to take a walk by himself. Little did he know Darren and his friends are taking a walk as well. They clash and, at the end, Darren spares Steve and takes him back to the Cirque. What now? Darren/Steve slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Pairings: Darren/Steve, one-sided Gannen/Steve, some Canon Vampires/OC Vampaneze**

**A/N: Wow, I wrote this over a year ago, which is kinda hard to believe. Right now I'm coming back and looking it over, correcting mistakes and improving it overall. Please keep in mind that this fic is still ongoing. But enough of this, on to the fic!**

**x x x **

Night had fallen quickly, but Steve wasn't happy about it. He was bored. Well actually, that was an understatement. He was bored to _death_. He and his guards had arrived in the town where the Cirque Du Freak was currently playing about a week ago, and had quickly taken residence in an old, abandoned mansion.

Steve and crew had been trailing their hunters for weeks. At first every time they finally settled down Steve was glad. He loved to explore new towns, possibly buy some clothes and weapons, and terrorize a few lowly humans. But after a while all that got tiring. Even his victim's reactions got old.

Steve used to think it would be cool to have servants following him around, obeying his every order, but now he knew better. His guards were _always _with him whenever he went out. They could take no chance in the hunters finding Steve alone and killing him. Of course, Steve protested, saying he wouldn't be killed, and didn't they think him capable of defending himself? But it was no use. The vampaneze just couldn't take the risk of something happening to Steve, no matter what he said. Thus, because he didn't want to be around them every time he wanted to go out, the Vampaneze Lord had taken to staying in.

At the moment, Steve was standing at the window of an upstairs room, staring out into the night. The sky was clear of clouds, making the stars shine ever the more brightly.

There were voices somewhere in the distance, talking in a quick, sharp manor, and Steve guessed his guards were somewhere around the mansion, arguing with each other again. The Vampanze Lord didn't really give a damn what they did, as long as they were far away from him.

Steve glared out into the moonlight, letting out a soft, longing sigh. He wanted to be out in it, not trapped in this old, stuffy mansion.

Wanted to feel the crisp cool air, slight breeze blowing around him, not too chilling, but cool enough to be refreshing. He had stayed inside far too long, breathing in this stale air.

Wanted to stretch his legs, as they were beginning to ache after staying cooped up in here for so long. Even though this was a mansion, the space was still limited and, unless you wanted to walk back and forth, staring at the same lamp again and again, not very good for cardio activity.

And, most of all, wanting to get a bit to drink. Blood. He hadn't had human blood in a _week_. That was longer than he usually went without drinking. He could just taste it, warm and smooth, the flavor differing from human to human.

The Vampaneze Lord growled angrily to himself and began to pace around the room, probably creating a great deal of noise for those below him. He didn't care. He wanted _out_!

Suddenly, in a moment of realization, he stopped dead in his tracks. His guards weren't with him at the moment. If he could get by them, he could leave the mansion without them even knowing! And, since they really didn't check up on him when he was safe inside concrete walls, he could be back before they even noticed he was gone!

A devious grin spread across Steve's face. God, how could he have been so utterly _stupid_? The answer was right in front of him all along! Though the vampaneze had advanced hearing, much better than those of humans, Steve knew of a way to get out easily without them knowing. He _was _a professional schemer, after all.

Slowly, Steve lifted the window and smirked. He was on the top floor, but, because of his extra strength due to being half-vampaneze, that really didn't matter much. As long as he was careful and didn't land too hard on an ankle or something he would be fine.

The half-vampaneze moved until he was sitting on the window ledge, staring down at the hard ground below him. Then, with one final glance at the closed door behind him, he tensed his muscles and sprung out into the cool night air.

Steve landed like a cat, using both his legs and arms to take the blow so it didn't put too much strain on his lower body. Standing, he looked around, just admiring the beautiful moon and star filled sky for a minute, filling his lungs with the night air. Soon he started walking, enjoying the gentle breeze that blew his way and ruffled his long silver hair. Where to go? He really didn't care, for now just content to be outside without the presence of his guards.

**x x x **

Darren was restless. The Cirque Du Freak had just finished with a night show, but he hadn't really participated, just choosing to sit and watch. Normally he loved seeing his companions perform, but for some reason he just couldn't focus well tonight.

Now that the show was finally over, he wanted nothing more than to take a long walk under the moonlight. He hadn't really gotten a chance to explore the area where the Cirque was camped yet since Mr. Tall had kept him so damn busy.

With a smile, the young Vampire Prince started out of camp and began to walk slowly toward the forest close by. He had always loved the forests. They were so quiet, so serene. Perfect places for thinking. And boy, did Darren need to think! He'd been having nightmares about the Lord of the Shadows ever since he'd come back from the Lake of Souls with Harkat, and he didn't quite know what they meant. Yes, Evanna had told him the Lord of the Shadows would be a monster in the future and it would be either him or Steve, but she hadn't said any more than that. He wished she'd given him some kind of hint, advice on what to do next. Surely if the vampires won the war he wouldn't become a monster, right? Not him! He _couldn't_!

"Oi! Darren!" came a loud voice, startling the prince out of his deep thoughts. He turned to see Vancha running toward him, followed by Harkat. It seemed, unfortunately, that he wouldn't get much thinking done tonight.

It wasn't that he didn't want the company of his friends; he loved their companionship and the three had been getting even closer since Mr. Crepsley's death. When Vancha had come back from Vampire Mountain after telling the other princes all that had happened, the trio had tried to spend as much time as they could together, though it was hard since they all had different tasks at the Cirque and Mr. Tall wasn't one to let them slack off on their jobs. No, he definitely enjoyed the company of his friends, it was just that he wanted to be alone tonight, to think. But oh well. There were other times for thinking. Forcing a smile, he waited until the others caught up with him, and they began walking together.

"It's a nice night," Harkat observed as he looked up at the cloudless sky, the stars shining brightly.

"Aye," Vancha agreed, running his fingers through his dyed green hair and following Harkat's gaze to the sky. "I never really took the time to enjoy the beauty of clear skies and full moons," he added thoughtfully, lips curling into a slight smile. "I guess I should more often." Darren nodded, though he found it hard to believe the gruff, wild, nature-loving prince had never observed the sky before, given he preferred to be out and about all the time other than under a roof.

The trio walked in silence for about five minutes, enjoying the calmness of the quiet night, the only sound being the occasional chirping of a few crickets. As they got deeper into the forest however, they heard what sounded like the cracking of a tree branch somewhere to their right. They immediately froze, heads turning.

"Who's there?" Vancha growled, drawing a shuriken and holding it in front of him, ready to launch it if necessary. There came a loud string of vile curses, and someone stepped out of the shadows. Darren's eyes widened, breath catching in his throat, hands starting to sweat.

It was him.

Steve Leopard.

Mr. Crepsley's killer.

Lord of the Vampaneze.

Darren's worst enemy.

**x x x **

The minute Steve heard footsteps coming toward him in the forest he knew he was in trouble. For some reason he wasn't able to convince himself it was a harmless human that he could easily drink its blood and kill. Should he run? Hide? No, they already knew he was there. And if they were skilled, he most likely wouldn't get away.

Heart pounding so hard he was sure it could be heard miles away, Steve stepped out into the open.

Now his heart almost stopped all together. His suspicions were correct. This was just the thing his guards had warned him about. Of course the thought that they had been right all along didn't cross his mind at the moment though. He was too busy eyeing his familiar enemies, and really, he would never admit they were right anyhow. Pride was something Steve Leopard definitely wasn't lacking in.

The Vampaneze Lord focused on his enemies, not taking his eyes off them for a second. He had a knife on him, but that was all. He hadn't thought to bring one of his arrow guns, for he had been so sure he wouldn't meet any trouble. And this was where his damn stubbornness had gotten him. He was surrounded, three to one. However, though he was in mortal danger, it didn't mean he was going to back down, be killed willingly. Oh, no. That was definitely not his style. That was for the weak, not the strong, brave, dashing Vampaneze Lord.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Steve sneered, leering at the vampires and Little Person. "A grey, sewed together freak who doesn't belong anywhere but where the dead are, a dirty, arrogant prince, who obviously doesn't know what a shower is, and," he turned to Darren, his leer now turning into a full glare, "a weak, scheming _traitor_."

Steve smirked, shaking his head. "It looks like I've got my work cut out for me," he growled, voice laced with sarcasm, though the statement was true; it would be extremely hard to beat the three. Another thing he'd never admit.

Knife in front of him like a dangerous sword, Steve looked from one to the other. They all looked about to pounce, but Vancha was the fastest.

With a low growl, the prince shot toward Steve, tossing his shuriken aside, ready to fight hands-on. It was pure luck that Steve stepped to the side just in time and Vancha missed him by a hair.

"It seems you and Gannen are even more different than I thought," Steve taunted, smirking. "He can fight. It seems you fail miserably at that."

Vancha's teeth clenched at the mention of his brother, and he ran at Steve again, this time colliding with him head on and sending him tumbling forcefully to the ground. Still Steve smirked, managing to get an arm free and jabbing his knife at the prince's shoulder, managing to draw blood.

Before anything else could take place though, there was another person there, looking down at him. "Let me do this," Darren said quietly, looking at Vancha, eyes hard. "I need to do this."

Vancha glanced at the young prince for a minute, studying him carefully, then nodded silently and stepped away.

Steve took this moment to jump to his feet, tackling Darren. The two rolled over and over in a dizzying mix of arms, legs and knives, trying to stab each other, using all their strength and looking for openings.

Then it happened. How, the Vampaneze Lord had no idea, but it happened. Steve, who was below Darren at that moment, felt a sharp, searing pain in his side. Gasping for breath, he managed to pull the knife out of him, blood soaking his hands. He glared weakly at Darren who stared back at him, expression blank, before everything went black.

**x x x**

Darren looked at Steve's limp body for a couple moments before picking the bloody knife up from where it lay on the ground. Hands shaking, he held it over Steve, imagining bringing the tip down hard, puncturing his heart.

Killing him.

Making sure that the vampires won the war.

Getting revenge.

Ending this whole thing, here and now.

But something stopped him. Steve's face suddenly looked so calm, so peaceful. None of the rage that had possessed the Vampaneze Lord before shown. He looked... almost normal. While staring at his enemy, Darren saw in him the Steve from long ago.

The person who used to be his best friend.

The person that he once... no, he mustn't think of that. He never loved Steve, just thought he did. But still he didn't stab.

"What's taking so long?" came a gruff voice from his side, and Darren turned to see Vancha frowning, hands on his hips. He had almost forgotten the other prince and Harkat were there.

"I..." Darren took a deep, nervous breath, then looked Vancha in the eye. "I can't kill him."

Vancha stood there for a moment, frozen in shock, then shook his head. He walked over and knelt beside Steve, hands positioned to twist the half-vampaneze's neck.

"_No_!" Darren shouted suddenly, and Vancha glanced up at him, surprised. "I don't want you to kill him," Darren said, quieter this time. "I want... I want to take him with us."

Darren stood behind his statement, even when he saw Vancha's face contort with rage.

"That's insane!" the older prince growled, glaring up at Darren. "We need to kill him! For the clan! You're a prince. Whatever feelings you have must be put aside! You cannot be selfish. You need to do what's best for the clan. And don't you want revenge after what he did to Larten?"

Darren was, of course, still very angry about what Steve had done to Mr. Crepsley, but he wasn't thinking about that now. "We can kill him later," he argued. Grabbing Steve's arm, he dragged his old friend back, away from Vancha. "If you want to kill him now you'll have to kill me too." Darren didn't know what had come over him as he stood there, heart pounding in his chest, but he felt the overwhelming need to protect Steve.

Vancha, features incredulous, stared at Darren in amazement. Then he stood up, spitting angrily at the ground before stalking away towards where camp was located.

Darren glanced at Harkat, wanting advice, but the Little Person just shook his head sadly and followed Vancha.

Great. Now what was he supposed to do? He'd gotten himself into a huge mess without even thinking about it, and he had absolutely no plan.

Letting out a sigh, Darren picked Steve up, hoisting the other onto his back. It was getting colder out and if he stayed here too much longer he was afraid he would freeze. There was only one place to go, Darren thought as he began to carry Steve back to the Cirque Du Freak. He didn't quite know what he was going to do with the Vampaneze Lord, but he would think of something.

The prince's feelings were all mixed up. He was no longer the angry, hate-filled vampire he had been when Steve had first appeared. All the anger he had felt seemed to have drained out of him. Still, he certainly didn't like Steve after all that he'd done, all the pain that he'd caused. He couldn't. Right?

The half-vampire shook his head. He didn't quite know what he felt towards Steve. All he knew at the moment was he didn't want to kill Steve yet. It felt right to let him live, at least for just a little longer. Vancha and Harkat obviously didn't feel the same though. But he would find a way to get the others to listen to him. Somehow.

**x x x**

**A/N: So, that was the first chapter! I'd love to know what you thought! (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. I've been super busy. I swear though, the next one will be out in less than a week. I've decided that, though this fic will center around Steve and Darren, we'll have other people's points of view as well, and they'll get to tell their points of view and have their own dilemmas and problems. Enjoy!**

**x x x**

The stars were slowly fading and dawn was quickly approaching as Darren sat on a patch of grass at the edge of the Cirque Du Freak. He had deposited Steve in the tent he shared with Harkat about two hours ago, and spent the rest of the time thinking.

Thinking about Steve, his feelings, and what the hell he was going to do to convince Harkat and Vancha that Steve should stay. Hell, he didn't know himself why Steve should stay! Just saying "because I want him to" wasn't going to cut it. And why did he want him to? Steve had caused him nothing but grief during the last few years. He'd killed Mr. Crepsley! Just thinking about his mentor falling into the pit of stakes while Steve looked on laughing made his anger burn. So _why _was Steve here?

Darren shook his head in exasperation. His brain was starting to hurt. Best thing to do was forget about this until tomorrow and get some sleep for the day. However, he was going to have to find Harkat and tell him about Steve sleeping in their tent first. He didn't think the Little Person would react well if he walked in and found Steve on the floor.

The half-vampire sighed and slowly got to his feet. He dreaded talking to Harkat, but knew it had to be done. He glanced around, then started walking slowly back to the campsite, watching for his friend. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move, and turned to see the grey-skinned, stitched together figure standing by the edge of the woods, staring into space. He ran toward Harkat, hoping the other would stay put.

"H-Harkat," he panted as he drew up beside the other. Harkat didn't turn. "Look, I'm sorry," Darren told him, wishing his friend would say something. "But I really think it's best that Steve stay here."

Harkat slowly turned, and there was no warmth in his eyes. "Why?" came his reply, and Darren opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

What exactly could he say? Nothing would seem convincing. "Because we can keep an eye on him this way," he finished lamely.

Now Harkat turned fully, looking him in the eye. "But you don't want to kill him. Why not… kill him and end this? Isn't that… what your mission's all… about? The Hunters are supposed to… kill the Vampaneze Lord?"

"Yes, but-"

"Isn't that what you, as... one of the Hunters and a prince… as well should... do? Darren, you hold the lives of your people… in your hands. Whatever your reasons for keeping… Leonard alive, are selfish. As a prince you should think of your… people first. That's what Mika, Arrow, and Paris would… have done if they were Hunters. That's what Vancha… wants to do. The only reason he doesn't is… because of you."

Darren looked at his feet, not saying anything. Of course he knew killing Steve would be the right thing. Of course he knew he was being selfish and that he should think of his people first. Sometimes he wondered if he was really cut out to be a prince. He wasn't like the others. The others wouldn't hesitate to kill Steve, no matter what their feelings for him were. The others would do this for the clan. But he couldn't! He just _couldn't_! He didn't know why, but for some unknown, stupid, somewhat dangerous reason, he couldn't bring himself to kill Steve Leopard.

As his thoughts began to wander, once again returning to the question that had been in his mind for hours, he suddenly remembered why he'd come to talk to Harkat in the first place. He hesitated, knowing Harkat wouldn't like this, but also knowing he had to say it. He took a deep breath and looked up at his friend.

"Steve's… Steve's staying in our tent," he said quickly, cringing. "It's just that I didn't know where else to put him!" he went on, not waiting for his friend's reaction. "He's tied up of course, with really thick ropes he can't cut through, and-" he stopped as he saw Harkat start to walk away, shaking his head. Darren watched him go, then slowly started walking back to his grassy patch, heart heavy.

**x x x **

"Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! What the hell's his problem? How could he even think about keeping that dangerous monster here? It's insane! He knows we're supposed to kill him and yet he insists on keeping him here and not hurting him!"

Vancha paced back and forth on the other side of the Cirque, fists clenched. He just couldn't believe it. Why would Darren do such a thing? Mr. Tiny had clearly said the Hunters would have to kill the Lord of the Vampaneze - aka Steve Leonard - if they wanted to win the war. They didn't have many chances left either.

Vancha shook his head, a strand of dyed green hair falling into his eyes. He angrily brushed it away, cursing to himself. This just didn't make sense! Why would Darren want that bastard alive after what he did to Larten?

Larten. Vancha closed his eyes as he remembered his long-time friend. Remembered them many years ago, drinking together, sparing together, spending many a night talking. Then he thought of him a few months ago. Falling to his death.

Tears ran down the prince's cheeks and he cursed again, blindly smashing his fist into a tree. He wouldn't let Larten's death go un-avenged. No way.

Vancha's eyes narrowed. It didn't matter what Darren said. Killing Steve Leonard was his duty, to his people, to himself. And to Larten.

With fierce determination, he began walking quickly toward the center of the Cirque Du Freak. He would find the Vampaneze Lord and kill him.

**x x x **

Back in Darren and Harkat's tent, the figure laying on the hard floor stirred slightly, then opened its eyes. Steve's head throbbed, and it took him a minute to focus on his surroundings. Finally he could make out a hammock in the corner and some clothes on the floor. He could see nothing else.

The half-vampaneze tried to turn, but couldn't move because of the strong ropes holding him down. He gasped as he felt a sharp pain in his side, and his vision went blurry for a second. "Fuck..."

Images were flashing through his head, memories of what had happened just a few hours ago. He remembered his sneaking out, meeting Darren, Harkat and Vancha, being stabbed…. But why wasn't he dead? Wouldn't the vampires have killed him? Obviously they didn't, but what was the reason? They couldn't afford to keep him alive. And where was he now? In a tent obviously, but a tent where? Had they taken him prisoner?

Steve's panicking didn't do anything good for his wound. He groaned and closed his eyes tightly as another wave of pain ran through him. Even if he wasn't tied up he didn't think he'd be able to move.

Thump.

Thump.

Steve craned his neck, cocking his head as he listened. he could hear something in the distance. It sounded like footsteps, and they were getting louder, until they stopped outside his tent. Terrific.

**x x x**

Two small boys were running through the forest, each struggling to stay in front of the other.

_"I'm winning, Gannen!" the one in front called, grinning over his shoulder at the shorter boy, who glared back at him. _

_"Not for long!" the one in back panted, and brought up his speed until he was soon running beside the other, then slowly started to pass. "Ha! Who's winning now, Vancha?" he gloated, smirking as he overtook his brother. _

_The same two boys now stood inside a small cottage, a couple years older, staring in horror at two figures covered in blood, lying on the floor. _

_"M-mother? Father?" the slightly shorter boy whimpered as he stared at his parents through tear-filled eyes. "Mother, Father, wake up! Wake up!" He dropped down in front of his parents, sobbing. He barely registered when strong arms wrapped around him, comforting him. _

_"They're not going to wake up, Gannen," came the soft, sad voice of his brother in his ear. "They'll never wake up…." _

_"No! You can't leave! You can't leave, Vancha!" Once more the two boys stood, now grown into young men. "You can't! I can't live without you!" The man shook his head frantically as he stared at the other. _

_"Gannen… I can't do this. I can't be a vampaneze anymore. I can't follow these rules. I can't kill when I drink. It's not right. I don't fit in here. Not like you." The second man's head was bowed and he spoke the words softly, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm sorry, Brother. I'm so sorry…."_

Gannen's eyes snapped open and he blinked, focusing on the room he was in and the book that had fallen to the floor on front of him. He rubbed his eyes and picked the book up, setting it on the table beside him. The vampaneze sighed, leaning back in the chair, stiff from falling asleep while sitting down.

This was the sixth time he'd dreamed of his past this month. He'd tried to stay awake as much as possible so his painful history wouldn't haunt him, but it was no use. Ever since the battle at the Cave of Retribution this had happened. Ever since he had seen the look on his brother's face when Larten Crepsley dropped to his death….

Gannen wished he could somehow block out the memories of his family, forget them forever so it wouldn't hurt like it did, but it was impossible. No matter how busy he kept himself, the memories still came to him in his dreams. He just couldn't escape.

With a sigh, the Gannen got to his feet. He might as well go ask Steve if he wanted to go hunting that night.

Walking out of the room, he checked the place where he had last seen Steve. The Vampaneze Lord wasn't there. Sighing, he went down one of the many staircases in the manor, glancing in all the rooms as he went. Still no Steve. He walked quickly, and as he glanced into another room, crashed into someone.

"Yo! What the hell?" came the annoyed voice of RV. Gannen glowered at the recently turned vampaneze, and was just about to give him a lecture on remembering to respect the elder vampaneze when he remembered what he was doing down here in the first place.

"Have you seen Steve?" he asked quickly, before the other could leave.

"No, man," RV replied, shaking his head. "Haven't seen him."

Gannen growled under his breath, then brushed passed the other and continued to search the manor.

Soon, fear starting to creep into him.

Fifteen minutes later, Gannen ran into the large front room where several of the guards were gathered. He was sweating heavily and panic was written on his face. "H-he's gone! Our Lord's gone!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here's the third chapter! I know it's kind of short, but definitely action packed! And the relationship between Steve and Darren is getting more complex! The next chapter will have some real Darren/Steve action (finally!) and an appearance of Gannen.**

**x x x**

Silence. Dead silence except for the furious pounding of Steve's heart.

_Leave_, he silently willed the person outside his tent. No such luck. The person neither left nor came in.

This, to put it lightly, was making Steve nervous. _Extremely _nervous. Who could it be? The person who tied him up? But who was that? Immediately three faces came into Steve's mind.

The three people who hated him most in this world.

The three people who wanted nothing, _nothing _more to see him drown in a pool of his own blood, pained screams echoing into the night.

His three worst enemies: Darren Shan, Vancha March, and Harkat Mulds.

Steve's blood turned to ice at the thought of it being one of them. He'd rather it be a 900 ft. tall monster with teeth as sharp as needles and long, deadly, razor-sharp claws. At least then if it killed him, the vampaneze would triumph over the vampires, and Darren would fail.

Oh, how he wanted Darren to fail… to watch his clan disintegrate before his very eyes… To make him suffer the way Steve himself had suffered when Darren had left him, betrayed him….

Fear took over as Steve imagined what the hunters would do with him. He was so wrapped up in his terrifying fantasies, he didn't hear the tent flap open and feet walk in.

Not until someone was standing right over him. He could _feel _their cold eyes, menacing glare.

Panicked, Steve tried to twist to see who it was, but the ropes held him tight. There was a harsh laugh from above which chilled him to the very bone.

"Can't move, can ya?" came a gruff voice. "All tied up? Poor thing." Another laugh. The voice was slightly familiar, but before Steve could decipher who it was, a knife was thrust deep into his shoulder, tearing his shirt and making blood begin to trickle down his arm.

_Fuck_! Steve nearly screamed, but bit down on his lip instead, not wanting to give his attacker any satisfaction. The man laughed again and pulled the knife out, making Steve gasp in pain as blood gushed from his wound. The person walked a bit to the right until he was in line with Steve's vision. There was a sinking feeling in Steve's stomach as he recognized the purple animal skins and messy green hair. Vancha March, Vampire Prince, a hunter, and a person Steve definitely _didn't _want to face.

The Vampire Prince had a wild look in his eye as he gazed down at Steve, and the Vampaneze Lord couldn't help but shiver. _Dammit! What the hell am I going to do?_ He thought, gritting his teeth against the pain. _I can't fucking move because of these damn ropes__…__._

Steve glared at Vancha, trying frantically to think of some way to escape. His mind was blank. The throbbing in his shoulder was making it impossible for him to think at all.

"You're pathetic," Steve scoffed, breathing heavily, trying to buy some time. "You're going to attempt to kill me when I'm injured instead of when I could fight back. You're afraid you'll lose. And you would! I could easily beat you if I were in top shape!"

These words had an effect on Vancha all right, a bad effect. Before Steve realized what was happening, the prince's blade came down again, slicing into his other shoulder. This time Steve really did scream. He couldn't help it; the searing pain was unbearable.

Vancha looked pleased, Steve saw, as he looked up at the vampire through hazy eyes, vision slightly blurred. Damnit! Steve gritted his teeth once again, attempting a glare. He didn't want to please the vampire. He could take this, he _was _the Vampaneze Lord, after all.

"You will burn in hell," Vancha hissed, eyes gleaming. "You will suffer unimaginable pain. You'll pay for the suffering you've caused!" Vancha raised the blade up high and brought it down again, this time into Steve's thigh. The Vampaneze Lord let out another scream of pain. He was bleeding immensely now, and wondered how long it would be before he bled to death. Probably not soon enough. The vampire would want to make him suffer as much as possible before he died, wouldn't he?

But no, it seemed the vampire was now losing patience, Steve observed as he looked up at Vancha through half-closed eyes. Vancha's face was contorted in rage and the dagger was once again raised high in the air. "This is for Larten," he whispered, before slowly lowering the dagger over Steve's heart.

_"No!" _came a sudden scream from the doorway, and Vancha's hand came to a stop, the dagger inches away from Steve's heart.

"Vancha, no!" And then Darren was there, looking down at Steve, and the lord felt his heart flutter. Not because the blade was inches away from it, either.

"Vancha…." Darren seemed to pleading with the other prince, pleading for Steve. But why? Why in the world would he do something like that? Didn't Darren want Steve dead as much as Vancha did, perhaps more so? After all, Steve had killed his mentor….

Steve tried to focus on the scene taking place before him, tried to ignore the pain in his shoulders and thigh, though it was getting harder. He thanked God he was half-vampaneze. An ordinary human probably would have bled to death by now.

The two princes were locked in a staring contest. Suddenly Vancha turned on his heel, and, with a growl, stalked out of the tent. Steve let out a long breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. "Ha, the bastard couldn't kill me," he gloated through gritted teeth. "I'm far too superior! He was afraid to kill me! Soon I'll kill him, just like I killed Creepy Crepsley! The vampires will fall and the vampaneze will win!"

Before Steve could continue, Darren whirled around and picked up the knife Vancha had dropped. The half-vampire was panting and his eyes were alight with anger. Steve didn't have time to wonder who the anger was for before Darren brought the knife down, making a long, painful scratch on Steve's neck. The Vampaneze Lord's eyes squeezed closed and his hands clenched into fists. Had Darren just sent Vancha away so he could finish the job?

There was a long moment of silence and Steve slowly opened his eyes to see Darren watching him intently. His face was still full of rage, but there was something else there too… was it… pity? Immediately Steve frowned. He didn't want pity from anyone, Darren especially!

Darren turned away before Steve could study him anymore, and dropped the knife, walking toward the exit to the tent, leaving Steve lying in a puddle of blood.

The Vampaneze Lord was sure he really would die here and was starting to hyperventilate in panic. He couldn't die now! He still had so much to do! And especially not by the hands of Vancha and Darren! That meant the filthy vampires would win!

Before he could panic anymore, the flap of the tent opened once more and Darren was there again. The prince's face was now annoyingly blank as he slowly walked toward Steve and kneeled down next to him. It was then Steve saw the bandages the other held in his hand.

Steve clenched his teeth as his wounds were dressed, thoroughly confused. Whose side was Darren on? Why was he helping him? Fuck, his mind growing foggy...

When Darren finished with his wounds, the lord was barely conscious. He was aware enough though to know Darren was watching him again. Watching them with those pitty-filled eyes. Steve wanted to curse at him, to tell Darren not to look at him that way, but he lacked the strength.

As vampire turned away, got up, and walked toward the exit, he said something quietly that just reached Steve's ears. "Be careful..."

Or at least that's what Steve thought he said as the young prince left.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy the 4th chapter, please review if you would like!

**x x x**

Darren was tired. That, unfortunately, was a fact that couldn't be avoided, no matter how much he wanted to avoid it. Normally if he was tired, the half-vampire would just go to his tent and collapse onto his hammock. Simple, right? Well, not when there was a certain Vampaneze Lord by the name of Steve Leonard currently residing in that tent.

Especially if you were starting to have strange, possibly romantic feelings about said Vampaneze Lord. Yes, possibly _romantic _feelings. Darren had finally admitted it. Seeing Steve covered in blood, barely able to move, had pierced something inside of him and now he couldn't pretend everything was the same between him and his ex-best friend. Well, maybe it was for Steve, but not him. And Darren had a feeling nothing would ever be the same again. But he would worry about that later. For now: where was he going to sleep?

**x x x **

"Look everywhere! Don't stop until you find him!" Gannen commanded as Steve's guards filed outside, his voice loud and ringing in the silent night. They quickly ran off in different directions, not knowing where they were going, searching for their Lord. However, Gannen, unlike the others, had a certain destination in mind. He went into the forest and began walking quickly west, looking straight ahead, focused only on the place where he was nearly certain Steve was. The Cirque Du Freak.

The Vampaneze Lord protector's heart pounded as he walked, and he wondered if Steve was all right. Or if he was even alive. It wouldn't really surprise him if Steve wasn't, which actually made him feel a bit ashamed. But after all, if Gannen's hunch was right and his Lord was at the Cirque, he was in the company of vampires who would absolutely love to slaughter him.

No. He wasn't going to think about that now. He couldn't afford to. Thinking of Steve lying motionless on the ground in a pool of his own blood made Gannen shudder, hands clammy. This wasn't too unusual, since Steve was Lord of the Vampaneze after all, and without him their clan would be ruined... at least it wouldn't be too unusual had that been the only reason why. There was more though. Something Gannen couldn't quite get a grasp of, something that had been bothering him for a while.

When Steve first became the Vampaneze Lord he was loud and obnoxious, sadistic, constantly out for blood, ordering around the other vampaneze with no mercy. Once he'd even asked one of his guards to cook him seven albino squirrels, threatening the man with death if he didn't carry out his order.

This was certainly a part of Steve that was still there, though it may have toned down just a tiny bit as he matured. But there was also another side of Steve that Gannen had begun to see. One the Vampaneze Lord hardly showed to anyone, making Gannen feel extremely important. Deep inside of the Lord of the Vampaneze, there was still a small part of him that he'd had when he was a human, a caring side, a scared and innocent side. This made Gannen want to protect Steve more than anything else, to keep him safe from the horrible dangers that were out there. It made him care, just a little.

It would be nice if that was just it, would be so much simpler. But it wasn't.

One day, as Gannen was surveying some paperwork, he glanced up to see Steve standing before him, clad only in a pair of pants, hair damp, water still dripping down his body from the shower.

Gannen's heart skipped a beat. His face cheeks felt hot, and he couldn't take his eyes off the young man in front of him. Quickly he excused himself, leaving the room as fast as he could.

After that, Gannen tried to sort out his feelings a couple of times, then gave up. It was best not to dwell too deep into this, he realized. In the cold, harsh, blood-filled world he lived in, feelings like these were dangerous. These kinds of feelings could make you weak, and possibly forget your duty. This was something Gannen couldn't have. It was simply not an option. Thus, he buried these feelings deep inside him, vowing to never let them resurface. They hadn't. Until now.

Without warning there was a snap, and Gannen felt his foot hit something. Within seconds he was tripping over an overgrown root. He hit the ground hard, sprawling face down in the dirt. Damn. That's what he got for not paying attention to where he was going.

Cursing quietly under his breath, Gannen stood up, brushing the vast amount of dirt off of his clothes. He was dressed in a black suit, so luckily the dirt didn't really show, at least too much, though it did make him look rather dusty. Some may think this was a strange way of dressing when one wasn't going anywhere important, but this was the way Gannen usually dressed. He liked to look posh. He had many suits like this, all in different colors. He always combed his hair and tied it back neatly, and would never think of wearing sneakers. Many of the other vampaneze laughed at his elegant clothing and neat, precise way of dressing, but he always brushed it off. How could he expect anyone to take him seriously if he dressed like a tramp? If you could afford good clothes, buy them.

Facing a new direction now, Gannen gave a quick glance to his left. To his surprise (and relief), he saw a large clearing with a big tent set up in the middle, lots of little tents around it.

The Cirque Du Freak! He'd almost walked right past it! Gannen once again scolded himself for not paying attention, and started slowly toward the clearing, a bit unwilling to move out from the safety of the trees. He was all alone, and though he had a sword, if many people decided to attack him at once he was done for.

His heard pounded as he drew closer, and he scanned the area. It was early morning, still dark, so most of the performers and workers would be asleep in their tents. But of course, that didn't include vampires. That didn't include... his brother.

What would he say if he had to face Vancha again? It wasn't like they could make common conversation like they used to. They were enemies now, much to Gannen's distress. How many times he wished he and his brother had never heard of the vampaneze! True if they hadn't been made creatures of the night they would be dead now, but perhaps being dead would be better than having the person you had always cared for, loved, and trusted above all others as your enemy. Maybe anything would be better.

Gannen shook his head, trying to concentrate on finding Steve and getting out of there. He would focus on Vancha if that came up, but for now he was alone. Walking quickly, eyes darting all around, he made his way into the clearing.

**x x x**

Darren sighed. He still couldn't decide where to sleep! He couldn't find Harkat and ask to stay with him. The Little Person was probably still mad at him. And since it was still dark Vancha would be wandering around instead of going to sleep. Not that he would try to stay with Vancha anyways though, after what happened with him and Steve. That would just turn into a big fight which he really didn't need right now. He couldn't ask to sleep with any of the other members of the Cirque, since they were all already in bed and he didn't want to disturb them.

Annoyed and cranky, Darren finally began to make his way towards the tent he used to share with Harkat. The one Steve was in now. It was the only option he could think of unless he wanted to sleep on the hard cold grass (something Vancha probably would have done in his case, but he wasn't Vancha and he preferred nice warm beds and hammocks).

When Darren reached his tent, he slowly pushed the opening aside and walked in. He could make out the silhouette of Steve on the ground, and his heavy, even breathing assured the half-vampire that he was asleep. Good. Hopefully he wouldn't wake up until Darren could get out of there later.

Trying not to make much noise, the Vampire Prince took off his shoes and settled onto his hammock. He paused when he heard a soft groan, and held his breath as Steve turned over.

_Don'twakeupdon'twakeupdon'twakeup__…__ DAMN! _In the dark he could just manage to see Steve sitting up and looking around. Could he see him? It was dark, but vampires and vampaneze had extra sharp vision.

"Darren?" came a small, tired voice and Darren groaned. He had the worst luck.

"What is it?" he asked gruffly, refusing to look at the source of the voice.

A pause, then: "nothing." Silence.

_Why doesn't he go back to sleep? _Darren wondered, as he watched the figure in the dark.

"Darren…." the voice came again. Now Darren was getting annoyed.

"What?" he demanded, glaring in Steve's direction.

There was another pause, then Steve's voice came again, hesitant. "Why… why did you save me? Why didn't you kill me? If you killed me you would have won the war…."

Darren's blood turned cold. He was hoping Steve wouldn't ask that question. He really didn't know what to say. Why did he save Steve? Because he meant something to him.

Because he didn't have the guts.

Because… because he loved him. Wait, what? Fuck, this was confusing... When and how did he come to this conclusion? When did he start realizing he loved the person who had caused him so much pain? When he saw Steve laying so still, helpless and bloody?

It didn't matter. Of course he couldn't say that.

Or maybe he should. Maybe it was better to put his feelings out in the open. The worst Steve could do was hate him. And he thought Steve hated him already, so that wasn't exactly a big loss.

Slowly Darren stood and walked toward Steve. When he was in front of the Vampaneze Lord he knelt down in front of him. Now he could see Steve much better, as if it wasn't dark at all. Steve looked totally exhausted and pained. And… could it be… nervous? Usually the Vampaneze Lord showed no kind of fear or worriment even in the worst of situations. Was his breathing different? Or was it just Darren's imagination? It was probably nothing.

"You asked me why I saved you," Darren began, heart pounding in his chest. "I saved you because…." he couldn't say it. He couldn't tell Steve in words how he felt about him. So he showed him.

Not really knowing what he was doing, the half-vampire leaned toward the other. He thought he heard Steve's breath hitch as he put his hands on his old friend's shoulders and pressed his lips, ever so gently, to the vampaneze's.

**x x x**

Steve didn't move. He felt rooted to the ground as Darren pressed his soft lips to his. His mind had gone completely blank, and all he could do was sit there, like a doll, and be kissed. But unlike a doll, he could feel. And Darren kissing him felt… well, it was really too hard to describe in words. It was beyond amazing, beyond spectacular, beyond anything Steve had ever felt before. It was as if something new and unknown had erupted in the Vampaneze Lord. Before he knew it, he found himself kissing Darren back, pressing his lips eagerly against the prince's, eyes closed.

When Darren finally pulled away, it took Steve a minute to gather his thoughts. The vampire was looking at him with those amazingly beautiful brown eyes, and Steve couldn't remember anyone ever looking at him like that before.

After that minute though, it hit him, really hit him, what happened. What he had done. Darren had _kissed _him. And he'd kissed back. He'd kissed the one person he'd sworn he would always hate, would kill the first chance he got!

He'd kissed the person he loved. Loved. Oh God, this wasn't happening. He couldn't love Darren! He just couldn't! But he did, he knew in his heart that he did. He had since they'd been a lot younger, and though the love had been covered up with hate when Darren had become a vampire, it was there, deep inside Steve, just waiting for the day it would show itself again.

There was nothing he could do about it, not really. Choosing to ignore it wasn't an option, because he knew he couldn't ignore it no matter how hard he tried.

This was a disaster, a complete disaster, but instead of feeling dismay like he should have, he felt only exhilaration. He would worry about the whole enemy thing later. Besides, he had almost been killed so he felt like he deserved a break.

Without hesitating, Steve pulled Darren close, the pain and tiredness he had felt earlier beginning to fade. He felt Darren's arms wrap around him, and then, finally, their lips touch. In this moment, there was nothing he wanted more.


	5. Chapter 5

_"You!" _

Gannen Harst froze, heart beating rapidly in his chest. This was it. someone had spotted him. There was nothing to do now but face this head on.

Slowly he turned, but before he could make out the figure, he felt himself slam into the ground, then a heavy weight descend on his chest.

"What are you doing... here?" came a slow, raspy voice which sounded somewhat familiar. Gannen squinted in the dark, trying to see his attacker. He could just make out an ugly, stitched together face with sharp teeth protruding from the unmasked mouth. Harkat Mulds. Relief washed over him. It wasn't Vancha.

He tried to throw the Little Person off, but to no avail. "You shouldn't be here," the voice came again, and he could see the turning of Harkat's head as he glanced around, as if looking for someone.

"I've come to get my Lord," Gannen finally replied, staring up at the other. "I am not looking for a fight. Once I get him we will leave in peace." He didn't say the words that flashed through his mind: "If he's alive."

Harkat was silent for a minute, thinking as he looked down at the vampaneze. Should he kill this man? After all, if Gannen were dead, the vampires would have a much easier time killing Steve. Or should he call the others over? It really wasn't his place to decide what to do in the war. And for some reason they might want to keep Gannen alive, though Harkat didn't see what that would do. But then again, he should probably find out….

_"DARREN! VANCHA!"_

Gannen cringed as Harkat's voice rung out, loud and demanding, into the silent night. This was the last thing he wanted. He tried frantically and unsuccessfully to push Harkat off, but the Little Person held tight. Gannen let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Finally, when he still didn't hear footsteps running toward him, he opened his eyes.

Harkat was looking around, bewildered. Why wasn't anyone coming? Darren might be asleep, but wouldn't the call have woken him up? And where in the world could Vancha be? Harkat shook his head, then looked down at Gannen again. "It seems that I will… have to deal with you... on my own."

The Little Person slowly stood, and Gannen got up as well, trying to ignore his sore ribs. Harkat was heavier than he looked.

"He's in there," Harkat told Gannen, pointing to a small tent not far to the left. "Get him and leave. If… you try anything you'll have to face the… consequences."

Gannen nodded, relieved, and slowly started for the tent. He could feel Harkat's eyes on him as he walked, but ignored the other. His Lord was alive! He could hardly believe his good luck! He was sure that Steve would have been killed by the vampires.

Why _hadn't _he been killed? Didn't they want to win the war? Well that was a silly question. Of course they wanted to win the war! But then why wasn't Steve dead? Gannen shook his head, though he was smiling slightly. Whatever the reason for keeping Steve alive, he was happy.

When he reached the tent, Gannen slowly pulled the flap back and stepped in, trying to see in the pitch blackness. He thought he could make out the outline of someone on a hammock and stepped forward, wanting to see with his own eyes that his Lord was okay. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks, blood running cold.

Steve wasn't alone. Instead, he was locked in a tight embrace with Darren Shan, their arms wrapped around each other, heads close.

Too close.

Gannen squinted, trying to make out what they were doing.

Their lips were touching.

Gannen felt he couldn't breathe. He stumbled backward out of the tent frantically, nearly tripping over his own feet. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible! Steve and Darren? _Together? _

Gannen sank to the cold, hard ground outside the tent, head in his hands. He breathed deeply, trying to calm down, but it wasn't working very well. He felt as if he'd been stabbed in the chest over and over again. How in the world was this possible? They were enemies, complete enemies! They were supposed to be trying to kill each other, not… not… _kissing _each other! And Gannen knew it wasn't just the fact that his lord had pretty much betrayed the vampaneze that upset him. It was more because Gannen knew, no matter how much he tried to deny it, that he was falling in love with his Lord. And, no matter what he did, he couldn't have him.

**x x x**

Back in the tent, Steve and Darren had pulled apart and were staring at the entrance. Though he hadn't seen the face of the figure who'd just run out of the tent, Steve knew it was Gannen. Great. Just fucking great! Now what was he supposed to do? He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to face anyone until later. What was he supposed to tell his clan? Steve let out a long sigh. They'd think he was a traitor.

He wasn't though, right? He still wanted to win the war. Wanted the Vampaneze to triumph and him to lead them to victory. Then he remembered.

To win the war, he must kill two of the hunters, was what Mr. Tiny had told him. The other would die later, when the rest of the clan was dead.

He glanced at Darren, then back down at his hands. He could kill Vancha now and Darren would still be with him. But then Darren would die a while later…. He didn't want Darren to have to die at all! Also, there was no telling if Darren would just stand back while he tried to kill Vancha. Probably not. Steve closed his eyes, completely comfused as to what to do.

"You should go," Darren whispered, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"I don't want to leave you," the Vampaneze Lord whispered, opening his eyes and looking into the prince's chocolate ones.

"But you must. The vampaneze need you with them."

Steve faced Darren, sighing softly. "I'll return," he promised, biting his lip. "I'll find a way out of this… somehow. I don't want to kill you."

Darren smiled sadly. "Yes. There must be a way out of this." But at the moment the Vampire Prince's mind was blank. He moved closer to Steve and wrapped his arms around the Vampaneze Lord, hugging him tightly. Their lips brushed, and Darren had to force himself to pull away.

He released Steve, who stood up, an anguished look on his face. But in his eyes was a fierce determination, the same look of determination that Darren had seen so many times before when Steve had fought against him and the other vampires. The same look he had had when he was a child, trying to win a game of soccer or anything else.

"I love you," Darren whispered, tears filling his eyes. He loved Steve more than anyone else in the world, and he would find out a way to get out of Mr. Tiny's prophesy if it killed him.

Steve's heart pounded in his chest. No one had ever said that to him before besides his mother, and that didn't really count. "...I love you too," he replied, then slowly pulled the tent flap back and walked out into the night.

**x x x**

Vancha had been walking in the woods for an hour now, thinking about everything that had happened that night, and didn't hear Harkat's call. When he finally returned to the Cirque, Harkat raced up to him, breathing heavily.

"Vancha… he's here… Gannen's here…."

The Vampire Prince froze and just stood there, staring at Harkat for a minute. Dammit! He knew this would happen eventually. Gannen would come to collect Steve and then he would see his brother once more. With a sigh, Vancha ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"All right," he finally replied warily, glancing around. He would have to face Gannen. "Where is he?"

Harkat pointed toward Darren's tent, and Vancha could see the outline of a figure slumped outside it. He didn't take the time to wonder what in the world Gannen was doing, but started to quickly walk toward him, Harkat following. Better to get this over with as soon as possible.

At that moment, Steve stepped out of the tent and Gannen rose to his feet. Without speaking, the two turned to leave, and found themselves face to face with Harkat and Vancha.


	6. Chapter 6

Tension was high in the air as the two parties stood facing each other. Darren had come out of the tent and now stood behind Steve and Gannen, looking from them to his friends and back again. His hands were sweaty and his lip bloody since he had bit down on it in nervousness. In the end it was Gannen who finally broke the silence.

"Hello, brother," he began, bowing his head in greeting, voice and expression guarded. "We do not wish to fight. I have only come to collect my Lord. Will you let us leave in peace?"

Vancha was silent for a moment. It was hard to believe that the others didn't want to battle, to settle this once and for all. "Have you forgotten about the prophesy?" the green-haired Vampire Prince asked, eyes locked on his brother's. "This is the third meeting. After this there will only be one more… one that will decide our futures forever. Do you wish to wait for that last meeting? Or finish this now?"

Gannen sighed quietly. The truth was, he was dreading the time when the scores would finally be settled, when it would be decided once and for all whether the vampaneze would win the war or the vampires would. Wouldn't it be better to finish this off now so he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore?

"We are at your mercy," Gannen finally replied, glancing at Steve, then to Darren, then finally back to Harkat and Vancha. "We do not have armies of vampaneze to back us up as before. You have us outnumbered. You call the scores."

There was a heavy silence in which Darren was sure everyone could hear his heart beating. If they chose to fight, what would he do? His friends meant everything to him. They had always been there for him, helping him to the best of their abilities and protecting him. Without them he'd most likely be dead. He couldn't just stand here and watch if the vampaneze were attacking them. Not only would he feel horrible and completely responsible if they ended up losing and dying, but he would have betrayed them, Mr. Crepsley, and his whole clan. He would never be able to show his face in Vampire Mountain again. He couldn't call himself a prince or even a vampire. And worse yet, he would doom his clan. The vampires he served, the people who looked up to him and trusted him with their lives would die. It was destiny. But he couldn't let them or help them kill Steve either, could he?

He loved Steve. Even though he told himself he must not, he couldn't change his feelings. Darren knew how much Vancha hated to fight against Gannen, but no matter how much it hurt him, he still did it so he wouldn't doom his people. It was a truly noble gesture, and Vancha lived up to his title. He was worthy of being a prince. But was Darren? The half-vampire knew in his heart that he wasn't strong enough for this, and cursed himself a million times for letting his feelings replace his duty.

"Go," Vancha's voice said quietly, breaking through Darren's thoughts. Surprised, he watched as Gannen nodded and began to walk towards the forest, then turned and gestured for Steve to follow.

Steve looked at Darren, who smiled encouragingly if not a little sadly. "I'll see you again," the Vampaneze Lord whispered before following his protector out of the Cirque Du Freak and out of Darren's life.

**x x x**

Three days had gone by since Steve had left, and Darren felt like a big chunk had been ripped out of his heart. He'd been walking around like a zombie, keeping to himself most of the time. Harkat had returned to their tent, but he always left before Darren woke and came in after he was asleep. He hadn't seen Vancha at all since that night, and that probably was best since he had no idea what to say anyway. He missed his friends, but that was nothing compared to the pain he felt from losing Steve.

That night, however everything changed. When he was just about asleep, strong hands grabbed Darren and dragged him out of his tent, depositing him on the damp grass outside.

"We have to talk," came a rough voice, and he could just make out Vancha standing above him, arms crossed, and Harkat a little ways to the right, watching. "Come on."

Without warning, the two began to walk towards the woods and Darren had to scramble to keep up with them, still not exactly sure what was going on.

Finally, when they could see the lights of the Cirque no more, Vancha sat down on a large rock while Harkat leaned against a wide tree. Darren gingerly sat down on the forest floor and waited for whatever was to come.

"Darren," Vancha began, then paused as if to contemplate what to say next. "Darren, we need to know what's going on between you and Leonard. Why you didn't want to kill him even when it meant we would win the war."

Darren sighed inwardly. He knew he would have to tell his friends how he felt about Steve sooner or later. Might as well be sooner. "I… love him." The half-vampire looked at the ground as he said this, not wanting to see his friend's reactions. He wasn't prepared to hear a loud laugh, and when he looked up he saw Vancha had fallen off his rock and was rolling around on the forest floor, getting his already dirty clothes even dirtier.

"Good one, Darren," Harkat chuckled, his large green eyes alight. Darren couldn't believe it! They thought this was a joke!

"Guys... guys! It's the truth!"

"Sure it is… come on, tell us the real reason!"

Darren gritted his teeth and tried to stay calm. He hadn't been prepared for something like this. "I really do care for him. I know he's not exactly the nicest person-"

Vancha snorted at this.

"...and I know he killed Mr. Crepsley and made our lives hell. But even though I know all this I can't help having feelings for him. I can't help loving him. I don't want to have to choose between him and you two. I… I know I've failed as a prince. I don't deserve that honor. Maybe one of you should just kill me right now. I don't want to do any damage to the clan."

Dead silence. Darren fidgeted, eyes downcast.

"I'd say that statement deserved honor," Vancha said quietly, and Darren glanced over at him. The elder vampire had picked himself up from the ground and was pacing between the two trees, either unaware or not caring that he was covered head to toe in dirt and his green hair had turned a muddy brown.

"If you think you're the only one who's ever let their feelings get in the way of their obligation, someone must have taken out your brain and filled your head with brussel sprouts. Has it escaped you that I let the vampaneze get away the other night? And it wasn't because I didn't think we could take them on, either."

Vancha sighed softly, closing his eyes, and Darren could see this wasn't easy for him. "Also, do you remember, a few months ago, when you and I found Gannen and the man we thought to be a vampaneze servant as they were getting away? I could have killed them then. I knew I should have. But then, seeing him again after all these years… recognizing him… I didn't. I let my feelings for him get in the way. I may not have known how much it would cost us until later, but still, I knew I shouldn't have."

He paused, opening his eyes and looking straight at Darren. "The other night I knew very well things were in our favor. If we'd fought them I'm pretty sure we would have won." The vampire dropped his head and sat down on the rock again. "If you do not deserve the title of 'prince,' then neither do I."

Harkat looked from one vampire to the other, then cleared his throat. "I think you both... deserve your titles. You can't help the way you feel about someone. And you… really are looking out for the best interest of the clan. If you weren't, then you would… have already just given up and said you quit the hunt, therefor… dooming everyone."

Harkat turned to Darren. "I do not like Steve Leonard and I… know I never will. I do not understand why you… have feelings for him. But I understand... that you _do _have feelings for him. Feelings… that won't be changed no matter what anyone says."

Vancha nodded in agreement. "I dislike - no, _detest _Steve Leonard. But I know how you feel and I won't try to kill him unless you agree to it. I'm not just going to give up the hunt, though. If Mr. Tiny's prophesy is correct, which is something I have serious doubts about at times, and the only way to keep the clan alive is to kill the Vampaneze Lord, then we have a serious problem. I will not turn my back on my people. But if there is some way to stop this, if there's a way out, we need to find it."

He sighed. "I've never liked having the two clans in constant battle. Maybe we can create a truce or something. Stop the war. Anyway, why don't we all get some rest now? The sun's about to rise. We can talk about this more tomorrow night."

Darren and Harkat both nodded, and the three friends started back toward the Cirque Du Freak. Darren's heart felt a million times lighter. Perhaps there was a way out after all.

**x x x**

When the forest was clear, a short, stout man stepped out from behind the trees. His face was contorted in rage, eyes ablaze, and he twirled his heart shaped pocket watch so quickly around and around in circles that it was only a blur. There wouldn't be a way out. Not if he could help it.

**x x x**

**A/N: **I know Harkat's speech may be a little hard to read, but that's the way he talks so I wrote it that way. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, here's chapter 7. It took a while because I couldn't be sure whether to add part of the next chapter to this one or keep it separate, but finally I decided to keep them separate. Enjoy.

* * *

Patience. That was one thing Steve didn't have enough of, at least when it came to Darren. When he was a kid he always wanted to play with him, go places with him, read comics with him. When Darren had become a half-vampire and left, Steve couldn't wait to kill him. He would grow restless, waiting for the day. And now… Steve only wanted to see him. Though only a week had past, it felt like years. He had spent most of the time in his large, cushioned coffin, sleeping of staring at the ceiling. He was in the same room he'd been in the night he'd jumped out the window to go for a walk. The only thing that was stopping him from doing that again was his guards that were positioned all around the mansion. Also, someone came in about every five minutes to check on him. It was ridiculous! These were his guards, the people who served him, looked out for him, and would give their lives for him, but at that moment they seemed more like jailers. He knew they were doing it for his own good, but he hated it. It didn't have to be this was though. If he just told everyone they would go back and kill the vampires, everyone would probably be glad to get it over with. But if he went back, he wanted to go alone and not to fight. He didn't want to fight with Darren. Didn't want to kill him. Of course, this was turning out to be a problem since if he wanted to stay alive and have the vampaneze win the war, one of the hunters would have to die soon. This meant he could just kill Vancha now, but that also meant that Darren would also have to die, although that would be later on when the rest of the vampires were dead. Besides, as much as Steve loathed Vancha, he didn't think Darren would take kindly to him killing him. He'd rather not take any chances in having Darren hate him again. But then what the hell was he supposed to do?

Steve let out a sigh. His head was starting to hurt. Actually, so was the rest of his body. He'd probably been lying in the coffin too long. Slowly he sat up, then stood, cringing at the soreness in his limbs. Walking to a window, he gazed out at the night, wishing for about the 50th time that day he could be with Darren.

Hearing a knock on the door, he turned away and watched as Gannen entered. As Steve looked at the other vampaneze, he noticed dark circles under Gannen's eyes, and his skin looked much paler that usual. There was also a sad, lonely look in the other's eyes, not unlike the look in Steve's own.

"Hello, my lord," Gannen said quietly, and bowed. "I've noticed you haven't fed in days. Don't you think you should do it before you lose any more strength?"

Steve grunted and turned away, folding his arms against his chest. "I'm not hungry," he muttered stubbornly.

Gannen sighed and walked toward him, but Steve moved away.

"Perhaps it is better if we go back to where the hunters are and get this all over with." There was a slight tremor in Gannen's voice, and Steve was hit with the realization that Gannen might not want to do this anymore than he did. All he said though was, "no, Gannen. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't hate Darren like I once did. I… I love him."

Steve was usually not the kind of person that cared what others thought, but he rushed on, speaking quickly. "The only reason I wanted to become a vampaneze was to get revenge on Darren for betraying me. But as things progressed, I realized why I wanted to become a vampire in the first place: for strength and power. And being the Vampaneze Lord means I get all of that. I'm glad I have so much power and I don't want that to ever change. I wouldn't mind the war between the vampaneze and the vampires if it wasn't for Darren. I'd want for all those damn vampires to be dead if it wasn't for Darren."

Steve stepped close to Gannen and tore off a bandage on his shoulder, ignoring the pain, and showed Gannen a deep gash that would soon become one hell of a scar. There was no sign of surprise or any reaction on Gannen's face. He had doubted his lord would walk away from the Cirque Du Freak unscathed.

"See this?" Steve demanded, eyes alight with fury and hatred. "I have more of these too. Your deranged, evil brother did this to me. There would be nothing I'd love more than to drive a sharp, rusty stake straight into his heart, to torture him until he screams and begs for me to stop. But unless I was certain Darren wouldn't mind, then I won't do it."

Gannen smiled just a bit. The idea of Vancha begging for anything was kind of amusing. And with that statement, Steve seemed more like himself than he had in days. Well, except for the last part.

"And so now you know. I don't want to win the war if it means losing Darren. I don't even want to fight anymore. I know it's kind of hard to understand, but… have you ever cared about anyone so much that you wanted to do anything for them, do anything to make them happy?"

Gannen was silent for a minute, then he turned and walked toward the door. "Yes," was all he said before he exited the room. The moment the door was closed, Gannen leaned back against it, eyes closing. A scene began to unfold in his mind.

Four people were sitting at a round table, food in front of them. His parents and his brother. The three people who had once meant the world to him. His mother raised her fork, then put it down and turned to her two sons. Her gaze was warm but serious. "You two must follow your hearts," she said softly. "Wherever they may lead you."

Then the scene faded and Gannen opened his eyes, blinking. Even though hundreds of years had gone by since that time, he still remembered it well. The next day his parents had been murdered.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Here's chapter 8! I want to thank everyone for all your comments. I love knowing that you like this fic. At first the fic was going to be around 10 chapters, but there's still a lot of things I want to write, so now it's going to turn out to be more like 20-30. There's tons more action ahead! Enjoy!

* * *

The minute Darren woke up he knew something was going to happen today. However, he couldn't tell if it would be good or bad. He hoped, with all his heart, it was a sign he would finally decide what to do about Mr. Tiny's prophesy. Four days had gone by since he and his friends had agreed to try and figure a way out of this, but still no one had come up with anything. Vancha still had doubts about whether the prophesy was even legit in the first place, or whether the evil man was just playing with the, but no one was ready to test that.

When Darren stepped out of his tent, he stretched and glanced up at the sky where millions of stars were shining brightly like tiny lights. He felt a pang in his heart and remembered a night just like this not long ago. The night he'd seen Steve again. Stop it, he told himself firmly. It would do no good to think of that. Best to focus on the present and on finding out how he and Steve could be together again.

"Darren," came a voice from his close right, making the young half-vampire jump. He turned and looked up… and up… and up, until he was staring at the face of Mr. Tall.

"Please come to my cabin," the Cirque owner said in his deep voice, and Darren nodded and quickly followed, trying to keep up with the other's long strides. When he entered the cabin, he saw Vancha and Harkat seated on a couch and took a seat next to them. Vancha's hair was full of leaves and Darren guessed he'd slept under a bush again.

"Now, the reason I called you three here is because we're going to be moving to a new location this afternoon. You may continue to travel with us or you may stay behind if you so wish." Mr. Tall's eyes rested on Darren for a moment when he said the last part, and Darren was sure he knew what had happened and how he felt about Steve.

"You don't have to decide now, but you should give me an answer before noon."

After they filed out of the cabin, the friends stopped under a large tree at the edge of the grounds to contemplate.

"If we go with them, I won't be able to see Steve for a while," Darren said quietly, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Then we won't go," Vancha replied firmly.

Darren looked up at the other prince with surprise. "But we shouldn't stay here because of me. I mean, we're in this together. We have to do the best thing. You have more experience and you're the senior prince, so maybe we should do what you-"

"I told you before, we're equal," Vancha put in, cutting Darren off. "We have the same authority. And I don't think we should stay behind just because of you. I have a feeling we're not supposed to go with them… this is where we're supposed to be for now. It's time to walk down a different path."

"I agree," Harkat put in, nodding. "We shouldn't go with them."

"Then it's set. We don't go," Vancha replied.

Now what would they do?

* * *

Hours later, the three were walked through the forest quickly, scanning the area, searching.

"The footprints lead over here, but then they disappear," Vancha muttered, looking at the ground. It had been decided that they would seek out the vampaneze. They hadn't been getting anywhere trying to figure out how to stop their destiny on their own, so they decided to see if the vampaneze would help. Darren was the one who came up with this, and it took a lot of convincing for Vancha and Harkat to go along with his plan, but finally the other two decided it was the best option they had.

"There!" Darren suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the edge of the forest. A large, dark mansion could be seen through the trees. Slowly the three walked toward it, each wondering if they were doing the right thing.

"This is it," Vancha said solemnly, sniffing the air. "I can smell vampaneze all around here." He wrinkled his nose. "They don't smell particularly good, either."

The three silently looked at each other, asking the ultimate question with their eyes: should we go in?

Together, they turned and slowly walked toward the front door of the mansion, each wondering if this would end up being the final battle instead of what they wanted it to be. How would the vampaneze react when they saw the vampires come to them? Would they be angry? Amused? Annoyed? Ready to spill as much blood as they could? Darren's heart beat faster at the idea of seeing Steve again, even if this ended up being the day he died. It would be worth it, just to look into the Vampaneze Lord's eyes once more….

Bang. Vancha's fist collided with the door as he knocked, much harder than he needed to. Silence. The three friends fidgeted nervously. Were they at the right place?

Their worries didn't last long. With a creek, the old door opened, revealing a tall, muscular man with short red hair. His eyes widened as he stared at the group for a minute, and he drew his knife. Immediately, Vancha drew his as well. The man stared at them for a couple of seconds, then, with a swiftness nearly unseen to the eye, plunged the knife forward, aiming at Vancha's chest. There was no time to see if the knife would have pierced its target before the vampaneze's arm stopped in mid-lunge, held back by someone standing behind.

"What are you doing here?" Gannen's voice was weary as he looked at the vampires and Little Person, and his eyes grazed over them, searching.

"We… we came to talk," Darren said quietly, forcing himself to look Gannen straight in the eye. "Please, let us in."

For a minute he was sure Gannen wouldn't, but then he stepped back, pulling the vampaneze whose arm he was still gripping back with him, making it so they could get by. The other vampaneze stared, wide-eyed, as the enemies filed in, and he turned to Gannen, stunned. "You… why did you let them in?" he demanded, enraged. "They're our enemies! Our Lord is in here! They shouldn't be where he is!"

"Calm yourself, Donovan. If they were here to harm us, they would be fighting already."  
"But-"

"I trust them. They will not cause trouble."

Defeated, Donovan lowered his eyes, and Gannen finally released him. "Come," Gannen told the three, and led them down a long hall, and into a large, empty room, baring nothing but two old, worn couches.

"Where's Steve?" were the first words out of Darren's mouth.

Gannen looked at the young half-vampire, his eyes seeming to peer into Darren's very soul.

"Please… I really want to see him."

After a moment of silence, Gannen finally turned and pointed to a high staircase. "Up there, second door to your left."  
"Thank you." Darren gave the vampaneze a thin smile, and practically ran up the stairs.

"Now, you said you wanted to talk?" Gannen asked, looking from Vancha to Harkat and back again.

"Yes… we've had enough of the war. We realized that we no longer wish to defeat the vampaneze. We want to find a way to break Mr. Tiny's prophesy, to turn around destiny."

Gannen let out a soft sigh. So they wanted this too. Though the vampaneze was happy about this, he was also very skeptical. Mr. Tiny was Mr. Tiny, the most powerful being he knew of. Could they really out-smart him?

"Do you really think it's possible?" Gannen asked quietly, afraid to let too many emotions show.

"Yes," Vancha replied, firmly. Though he had had doubts about this before, now he truly believed that, with the help of the vampaneze, they could find some way out of this.

The two brothers looked at each other, as if it had been millions of years that they had been apart. They smiled.

It was Harkat that finally broke the silence. "Well, why don't you two hug already?"

And they did.

* * *

Darren paused outside the door Steve was in, heart pounding, palms sweating. Why was he this nervous? He should be happy! And he was, he really was, but the thought of seeing Steve again, being with him again, made him tense. Would Steve's feelings have changed?

Stop! Stop thinking about that! He told himself, biting his lip. Just go in there casually.

Slowly, Darren took hold of the doorknob and twisted, then pushed the door forward and stepped into the room. "Steve?" Darren's voice was small, hesitant, and timid. But Steve heard it. Turning, his eyes met Darren's, and he immediately jumped up from the coffin where he had been sitting. He walked toward his love slowly, unsurely, as if he was afraid Darren was nothing more than a mirage.

"Is it really you?" the Vampaneze Lord asked, blue eyes wide.

Darren let out a chuckle. "Yes, it's me."

And then they were in each other's arms, hugging tightly, hearts filled with joy. Steve didn't bother to ask Darren why he was here or how he was able to get in without being attacked by the vampaneze, and Darren in return didn't offer any explanation. None of that mattered now. They were here, together, and that's what counted.

Their lips met, and they kissed softly at first, tenderly. Darren bit down on Steve's lower lip gently, and Steve pulled Darren closer, pressing his body against the vampire's, wanting to be as close as possible, never wanting to let go.

Suddenly, Steve seemed to trip over his own feet, and fell backward, Darren falling along with him. He landed on his back, half-in, half-out of his coffin, with Darren sprawled on top of him. Luckily, the sides of the coffin were cushioned and lined with velvet, as well as the inside, so it really didn't hurt.

The Vampaneze Lord looked up at Darren, who blushed deeply. However, he didn't move from his position on top of Steve, and pressed his lips against the other's once again, as if nothing had happened. However, this kiss wasn't soft and gentle like the one before, but deep and demanding. Steve's mind had gone blank, and his eyes fluttered closed.

Darren's tongue gently pushed against his lips, and they parted ever so slightly, making room for the tongue to dart in, explore. Steve's tongue pressed against Darren's, and they fought for dominance, arms tightening around each other. The room and everything in it had disappeared, their thoughts and worries had vanished, and they were lost completely, drifting along in their own world, aware of nothing but the feel of each other's bodies and their kiss.

After parting for air, Steve gently pressed his lips to Darren's throat, trailing feather-soft kisses down his neck. Darren moaned softly, the sensation new to him, and his hands tangled in Steve's long, silky white hair, which for sure must have been dyed since Steve was still quite young. The half-vampire let out a loud gasp as Steve bit down, then licked over the wound, soothing it with his tongue.

"Steve…." the prince whispered, his breath coming in short gasps. Steve smirked and gazed down at the vampire, loving the look on Darren's face, loving that he had this kind of power over Darren, he and no one else.

"I love you," Darren murmured, looking into Steve's eyes. "I love you so much…."

It could have been ice cold and snowing in the room and Steve would still have felt warm. Hearing those words never got any less exciting.

"I love you too," he replied softly, speaking to Darren what he had never spoken to any other, not even his own mother.

To be loved can turn a rainy day sunny; can make the clouds all disappear immediately. Love can change you completely, can make you forget everything. Loving Darren and having Darren love him made Steve not care about the war with the vampaneze, forget about what happened so many years ago, about Darren's "betrayal". Nothing else mattered.

Steve and Darren kissed again, their lips feeling so right together, hands roaming each other's bodies. They fell asleep still half-in, half-out of the coffin, Darren on top of Steve, clinging to each other. The next day would bring many changes, time for talking and planning. But for now, it was only time to be together.

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**A/N:** I'm not sure that this chapter is as good as the others, but I tried. I need to learn how to make a better make-out scene. In the next chapter we're going to meet some oc vampaneze characters, who will soon become a big part of the story. I'm thinking of pairing Vancha up with someone at some point, and it may be one of them. Also, I may try to write a lemon in one of the upcoming chapters, though having never written one before, it may not be all that good. I'll see what I can do.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm sorry this chapter is so late, but I've had a severe case of writers block. This is also kind of short, but there'll be more action in the next chapter.

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The first thing Harkat thought as he woke up was that the ground had suddenly turned very soft. Cushy too, like a mattress. It _was_ a mattress! The Little Person sat bolt upright, almost hitting his head on a low ceiling. His eyes met a nearly empty room except for a bed and a wooden dresser. The walls were plain white, smooth and spotless except for a small part near the door where the paint had started to peal. The events of the previous day came rushing back to him. He wasn't at the Cirque Du Freak campsite anymore, but at the current base of the Vampaneze Lord and his guards. Everyone had been tired the other day so there hadn't been much time to talk. The mansion was full of empty rooms which Harkat and his friends took. Or at least Harkat and Vancha had taken empty rooms. Darren might have slept with Steve.

Getting up, Harkat walked down the long hall, then down a flight of stairs and across another hall until he reached the large living room he and his friends had been shown to yesterday upon arriving. The only one there was Gannen, who sat on a couch, lamp lit on a small table next to him, reading a recent newspaper. Wondering how he had got it, Harkat sat down quietly on a couch opposite the vampaneze and folded his hands in his lap.

"Have a good sleep?" Gannen asked, glancing up from his paper.

"Yes," Harkat replied, looking over at the vampaneze. He was wearing a fresh, crisp white button down shirt and black pants that looked like they were part of a suit. His dark red hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail that was about shoulder length. It struck Harkat how different Gannen was from Vancha - not just in appearance, but in attitude too. It was kind of hard to believe they were brothers.

"So, is anyone else up yet?" Harkat asked, breaking the silence.

"Not yet, they should be getting up any minute though." Gannen glanced at an old fashioned looking watch on his right arm. Sure enough, a few minutes later clattering sounds could be heard from the next room over.

"Damn it, who ate all the white bread?"

"Beats me. There's still wheat bread though."

"That stuff tastes like moldy rats!"

"You've eaten moldy rats?"

"Never mind! Just put white bread on the shopping list!"

"I'm not the one who makes the list."

"Whatever!"

A few minutes later, two vampaneze Harkat hadn't seen before came into the living room, pieces of toast and large, steaming mugs in their hands.

"Yo, Gannen. There's hot water on the stove if you want to make coffee," the taller vampaneze with long, shaggy hair and narrow piercing eyes said.

"I'll pass," Gannen replied as the two vampaneze headed for a couch next to Gannen's.

Suddenly, the taller vampaneze's eyes fell on Harkat and he stopped in his tracks, causing the second vampaneze, a smaller, thinner man with hair that fell to just above his waist to bump into him and spill hot coffee all over himself.

"What the hell, Clyde?" he followed Clyde's eyes to Harkat and succeeded in dropping the mug and spilling the remaining coffee. "What is that thing?"

Gannen glanced up from his paper and looked at Harkat, then at the vampaneze who were staring in shock. "This is Harkat MUlds," Gannen said simply, going back to the paper.

"It looks like… like…" the vampaneze who had dropped the mug sputtered, unable to come up with the right words.

"Like an over-sized moldy rat!" Clyde put in, punching his friend on the arm and snickering.

Harkat bristled at this and narrowed his large green eyes at the vampaneze.

"That was quite rude," Gannen commented, frowning. "Harkat is one of Mr. Tiny's Little People and one of our guests.

"_One_ of our guests?" the vampaneze drenched in coffee muttered as he walked toward the door, wanting nothing more than to slash these guests to bits.

"That's right, the other two are-"

"Argh!" the vampaneze suddenly walked straight into Vancha, who was about to enter the room. Vancha tripped, falling against the vampaneze who lost his balance and ended up crashing to the floor, Vancha landing on top of him.

"Nice going, Azar," Clyde snickered, looking at the tangle of limbs.

"Not funny!" Azar muttered, struggling to his feet and glaring at Vancha. "Why the hell is a vampire here?"

"_Vampires,_ actually," Gannen put in. "There's another one too."

"Well why are they here?"

"They wanted to make peace… to stop the war."

There was a stunned silence and Gannen wished he had told the other vampaneze about this last night instead of putting it off.

"Th-this is insane!" Clyde exclaimed, then turned and stomped out of the room before anyone could stop him.

Azar looked around uneasily, his eyes falling on Vancha who had moved to sit next to Harkat. For a long time he had thought the war with the vampires was unnecessary, but his lord had been eager to begin the battles and insisted the others join in. Backing out was not an option. But now vampires were here and Gannen Harst didn't even seem to mind! Gannen, whose loyalty to their lord outshined everyone else's. Had the world turned upside down or something?

"But… what about Steve?" the bewildered vampaneze asked, shifting from one foot to another.

"Steve agrees," Gannen told him, and Azar's mouth dropped open. "In fact, he wants it more than anyone. Get changed and I'll tell you about it."

Azar glanced down, suddenly realizing his clothes were still soaked with coffee, and hurried out of the room in search for something else to wear. This he had to hear!

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**A/N: **We'll learn more about Clyde and Azar, who are going to become to major characters, in the next chapter. Hope you liked this one! Review please? ^.^**  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Well, I lied. The vampaneze OC's aren't going to be in this chapter but the next one. I wanted to try something different so I wrote... a lemon! My first lemon actually, so I hope it came out okay... anyway it starts in the italics, so just skip over it if you want. Unfortunately besides that there's not much action in this chapter, but I promise the next one will be up soon. The only reason this one took to long was because I had exams. But they're over now, so yay, more writing time! Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Warning:** LEMON! If you don't like then don't read the italics and don't flame!

* * *

Darren woke slowly, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim grayness of dusk. Since he was a vampire (or at least a half vampire), he could see pretty well in the dark, and since the sky wasn't completely black yet, he could see quite clearly, just as he would be able to if it were light out. There was still some time left until night, which would be the latest he should get up.

Sighing contentedly, he ran a hand over the velvet lining of Steve's coffin with a smile. It was much softer than his hammock back at the Cirque, and actually made Darren consider getting one of his own even though he never liked sleeping in coffins much. But perhaps he could get used to it. Especially if Steve was there with him.

_Steve._ Darren felt his heart automatically skip a beat as he thought about his beautiful lover. The Vampaneze Lord laid next to him, head on Darren's shoulder, breathing deep and even. A blush spread across Darren's cheeks as he remembered last morning...

* * *

_"Steve... dammit, Steve, I want you so bad..." Darren murmured in between gasping breaths as Steve kissed down his bare chest, stopping for a moment to lick over a nipple._

_"A-ah!" Darren's eyes closed as Steve began to suck on the bud, and he let out a startled hiss when Steve bit down gently._

_"You like that?" Steve chuckled, smirking as he drew away. Darren made a noise of protest until Steve lowered his mouth over the other nipple and repeated the process._

_Darren moaned softly and Steve felt his pants growing tighter. All the noises Darren was making were starting to affect him... he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so turned on! He lifted his head to kiss Darren, who returned the kiss eagerly. Darren pulled Steve closer, pressing their bodies together._

_As their tongues slipped into each other's mouths and began to battle for dominance, Darren felt something hard pressing against his leg. He pushed at it experimentally, and felt Steve shudder. Smirking in realization, Darren began to rub a knee against the bulge, grinning against the kiss when Steve moaned into his mouth._

_"Why don't we take care of that now, hmm?" Darren murmured seductively, pulling away from Steve's lips. The Vampaneze Lord looked at him through half lidded eyes as Darren fumbled with his belt, then lifted his legs so Darren could pull his pants all the way off. The vampire prince threw them into a corner of the room, then sat back, eyes wide. Steve was lying before him in the coffin, free of all clothes (obviously he didn't bother with underwear), long hair tousled, bangs half falling into his eyes, lips slightly parted, looking sexier than anything Darren had ever seen in his life. His eyes trailed down Steve's body and he felt his cheeks grow warm._

_"Like what you see?" Steve asked, smirking._

_Darren grinned in answer, over his shyness, and, lowered his head. Without warning, his tongue darted out and licked the base of Steve's erect cock. The Vampaneze Lord drew in a sharp breath as Darren took him fully into his mouth and began to suck, lightly at first, then harder, taking as much of him in as he could._

_Steve's breathing was becoming ragged, heart beating erratically as he tried to stop himself from thrusting into that moist heat, not wanting to choke his love. He hissed as Darren's teeth scraped the underside of the throbbing cock, then drew back until his mouth only covered the head._

_Darren licked at the slit, smirking best he could at Steve's heated gasp, then pulled away completely. Steve let out a whine of protest at the loss, but was quickly silenced by a kiss._

_"Fuck me," Darren whispered against Steve's lips, not caring how dirty he sounded. "I want to feel you inside of me, I want to hear your moans, I want-" now it was his turn to be silenced as Steve kissed him harshly._

_The Vampameze Lord then pulled away, and Darren saw he was panting slightly, cheeks flushed, eyes clouded with lust._

_"All right," he whispered, voice husky. He got up, and, before Darren could ask where he was going, returned with a tube of hand lotion. Darren's heart pounded as he unzipped his pants and wriggled out of them, then took off his boxers while Steve watched impatiently, throwing both items of clothing across the room._

_Steve was on him almost instantly, pushing him back into the coffin. He kissed Darren fiercely for a few seconds, then pulled away. Darren watched nervously as Steve squeezed some lotion onto his hand, coating his fingers. Despite being the one to request this, Darren wasn't feeling at all confident now. He'd never done anything like this before, never let anyone be so intimate with him. On one hand it felt good to be opening up for the one he loved (and of course it felt physically amazing as well) but on the other hand it frightened him. He and Steve were crossing a huge line and their relationship would never be the same again. Was he ready for this change?_

_A warm hand on his thigh snapped him out of his thoughts. Steve gently raised one leg and rested it on his shoulder, then did the same to the other. "Relax," Steve murmured, voice soothing. "Ready?"_

_This was Darren's last chance to back out. But, as he looked up into Steve's eyes, he knew, despite his worries, he never wanted anything more than this._

_"Ready."_

_Steve inserted a lotion-covered finger into Darren, then slowly began to thrust it in and out. The whole thing was rather uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt as much as Darren thought it would. Steve entered another finger and began to scissor them. Never mind, now it hurt. Darren held his breath, trying to ignore the pain. If he couldn't take this there was no way he'd be ready for anything else._

_"A-agh!" Darren let out a strangled cry as Steve's fingers hit something inside of him that made his vision blur for a second. The pain had disappeared and now he felt nothing but complete bliss. "Steve... I want... you... now..." he choked out, finding it hard to string the words together. He was vaguely aware of Steve smirking and doing something with the lotion, then one minute he was positioned at Darren's entrance, the next he had pushed completely in._

_Darren's mouth opened in a silent scream as Steve penetrated him, and he squeezed his eyes closed. It felt like he was being torn apart. Surely his insides were being ripped to shreds! How could people stand this kind of invasion? Tears gathered at the sides of his eyes, but he didn't open them, refusing to show this kind of weakness in front of Steve. Vaguely he was aware of fingers stroking his cheek, and he finally opened his eyes to see Steve gazing at him with concern._

_As soon as he was inside Steve had wanted to thrust again and again into that maddingly tight heat, but he forced himself to stay still until Darren was ready. "You okay?" he asked softly, and Darren paused for a second before nodding._

_And it was mostly true. The pain had now subsided to a dull ache, and though it wasn't exactly comfortable it wasn't unbearable. Steve stayed still for a moment longer, then slowly pulled almost all the way back out then pushed back in, and soon there was a steady rhythm going. It burned a bit, but Darren was quickly adjusting to being filled like that._

_Suddenly pleasure erupted, not unlike the kind he'd felt before but even stronger. Darren let out a choked gasp, head falling back as Steve thrust into that spot again and again, harder and harder, making Darren cry out in complete ecstasy. Sweat trickled down their bodies and the two moaned in unison, both lost in this intense, blinding pleasure, close to the breaking point._

_Steve wrapped a hand around Darren's weeping cock and began to pump in time with his thrusts, Darren moving up to meet him as he slammed into him. Then, with a cry of pure pleasure, Darren spilled his seed into Steve's hand and he went limp, chest rising rapidly up and down, breath coming in fast pants._

_The sudden clenching around Steve was too much for him, and, with one final thrust, he came inside Darren, letting out a silent scream._

_It took a minute before Steve could move enough to pull out, and then he flopped over next to Darren, eyes closing. The two lay like that for a few minutes before dragging themselves up to clean and dress in case one of Steve's guards happened to come in._

_They fell asleep almost immediately after, draped over each other in a mass of arms and legs._

_

* * *

_

"Darren?"

The half-vampire was startled out of his thoughts replaying what had happened early that morning by Steve's voice, slightly husky from sleep. Darren turned to his lover who was looking up at him with tired, half lidded eyes.

"Morning," Darren told him, then chuckled. "I mean night. I don't think I'll ever get used to sleeping by day and getting up at night. Oh well. There's not much I can do about it now. Anyway we should probably get up now. The others will be waiting. We still have to decide what to do."

What to do. That was the reason they were here. Darren had almost forgotten, but now he remembered that the relationship between him and Steve wasn't all flowers and sunshine. If they wanted to survive this whole thing, they needed to think of a plan- and fast!

"Come on," Darren said, getting to his feet, eager to get started. The quicker they began the quicker they would find a solution. Steve stood as well and they headed across the room and out the door together. Just as they were turning a corner, they nearly ran into an annoyed-looking vampaneze whose clothes were drenched in coffee.

"Can't you people look where you're- oh, my lord! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" The vampaneze bowed deeply, then his eyes flickered to Darren and he looked at him with obvious distaste. "This is the other vampire...?"

"This is Darren," Steve told him, stepping in front of Darren possessively. "You will not lay a finger on him if you want to live to see another night, do I make myself clear, Azar?" Steve's eyes were narrowed and he was glaring a glare that would send most humans running for cover.

"Yes, my lord," Azar replied, bowing again. Steve brushed past him without another word, leaving Darren to follow.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, how was my first lemon? When I was writing it I thought it seemed good, but when I read it over I wasn't so sure what to think . I've read a lot of lemons, but never wrote any myself. I tried to make this as realistic seeming as possible, but being a girl I've never had this experience so there was only so much I could do. Please, please, please tell me what you think and if I should continue writing lemons every one and a while or not.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Wow, it's been a while, but here's chapter 11! I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I've been really busy with school and everything. Since summer's coming up though, I'll be able to write a lot more.

I'm really glad so many people liked the lemon, since it was my first one I wasn't sure I did so well.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't long before Darren and Steve reached the living room (the mansion wasn't a castle after all) where they found Gannen sitting on one of the couches, newspaper in lap, and Harkat and Vancha sitting across from him, the former looking rather amused.

"Hey guys," Darren said, smiling nervously at his friends. He was glad no one seemed uncomfortable, what with being in the vampaneze's place and all.

"Good evening, my Lord," Gannen said, standing up quickly and bowing before Steve. He then turned to Darren almost hesitantly and gave him a curt nod before sitting down again.

_Well, at least that was something_, Darren thought, nodding back at the vampaneze.

"Evening, Darren," Harkat said, smiling.

"Yo! Where ya been?" Vancha asked, grinning, though there was a somewhat suspicious look in his eye. "We were all up ages ago!"

"Ah, well…" Darren murmured, running his fingers through his somewhat tangled hair, cheeks becoming slightly pink. "We just… slept late," he finally concluded lamely. There was no way in hell the others were going to know what went on with Steve yesterday, even if his lies had to be completely ridiculous.

The half-vampire let out a breath when Vancha just nodded, willing to let the subject drop for now.

Steve grabbed Darren's hand (Vancha and Gannen tensed) and led him over to another couch next to Gannen, just big enough for two people.

"I'm back," came a voice, and the vampaneze Darren and Steve had run into on their way down entered, this time wearing clean, dry clothes. He froze when he saw Steve and bit his lip, unsure if he was welcome to continue or not. Steve hadn't exactly been happy with him just a few minutes before. However, Steve just gestured for him to come in, for which Azar was greatly relieved, and he quickly took the seat beside Gannen.

"Where are the others?" Azar asked Gannen, running his fingers through his long, crimson hair.

"Well, as you know, Clyde decided not to remain in this room any longer, Gannen replied, a frown on his lips. "The others should be here soon."

And, with those words, four other vampaneze entered the room, talking and laughing among themselves. They all froze when their eyes fell on Darren, Vancha, and Harkat. They looked from the enemies to Steve, Gannen, and Azar, then back again, not knowing what to do.

"Hurry up," Gannen said impatiently, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. "We have something to tell you and we don't have all night. The sooner you hear this, the better."

Slowly the vampaneze filed farther into the room and moved to stand along the wall, farthest from where Vancha and Harkat were. Vancha smirked at this, reaching up to smooth his long, unruly green hair. "Afraid of us?" the vampire prince asked, smirking, as he looked from one stiff vampaneze to another.

Gannen shot his brother a warning look, but the damage had already been done.

The eyes of the vampaneze narrowed.

"Afraid of a dirty, ugly rat like you?" one snared, taking a few steps closer, through it was noted that he still stood several feet away from Vancha. "You've gotta be kidding me. There's no way on earth we'll be afraid of someone like _you. _"

Vancha just smirked, a knowing look in his eyes which made the vampaneze bristle even more. "Oh really? Then why are you standing so far away? Why don't you come a little closer?"

Darren closed his eyes in annoyance. The vampires were supposed to be trying to get the vampaneze on their side, to make peace with them, and what Vancha was doing certainly wasn't going to help any. As much as he respected and admired his fellow prince, Vancha was known for taking things way too far, and that was hardly the best idea right now. Before he could say anything, however, Gannen made the first move.

"Brother, that's enough," he said firmly, his voice holding a warning tone. "Remember, we're allies now. Not enemies." The vampaneze turned and started at Gannen, startled expressions on their faces, but Gannen ignored them. Vancha looked like he was going to say something else for a minute, but then his eyes met Gannen's and he snapped his mouth shut, looking away.

Darren was amazed the other prince had given in so easily, and turned to look at Gannen. Usually Vancha listened to no one; always went his own way, but obviously Gannen's words -or Gannen himself- had had some affect on him. Whichever it was, Darren was grateful.

From across from him, Harkat cleared his throat and turned to Gannen. "I think you should… start to explain to them what's… going on now."

Gannen nodded seriously, and the vampaneze exchanged glances. What was their lord's right-hand man going to say?

It took a while to explain everything; that he and Steve wanted to join forces with the vampires and stop the war, and the vampires (at least Darren and Vancha) agreed. All stunned eyes turned to Steve, staring at their lord in astonishment. They never, in all their lives, thought their cruel, crazed, vampire-hating lord would want to stop the war. He lived for that war! He lived to be in charge, on top. Revenge was what kept him going! And now here he was, sitting next to his worst enemy and nodding.

Steve, who felt his men's eyes on him, met them coldly. "We're going to join forces," he confirmed, his voice holding a dangerous tone, and no one dared utter a word. "If you don't want to follow then you will die."

The vampaneze had no doubt in them that their lord would kill them. As much as he had seemed to change, the young vampaneze lord still had that sadistic air about him, as if he was just waiting for the opportunity to tear his blade into someone's flesh, draw designs of blood into their skin, then pierce their heart. Yes, Steve was still Steve.

Azar, who wasn't surprised as all the others since Gannen had told him the vampires wanted to make peace less than half an hour ago, timidly turned to Steve. "But… why?" he asked quietly, not quite meeting the other's eyes. He knew questioning the words of his lord wasn't very smart, but he had to know the answer, had to know what had driven the young man to join with the vampires. Luckily for him, his lord didn't seem to be annoyed by the question, though his eyes seemed to burn a hole wherever he looked.

"Because I want to be with the one I love," he said simply, grabbing Darren's hand and holding it up for all to see. There were gasps of surprise and horror around the room, and Darren's cheeks became faintly pink again.

Gannen looked down at his lap. Even though he had already known this, it still stung him to know Darren was the one who held Steve's heart, not him. He couldn't look at Steve, couldn't face him at the risk of Steve seeing the hurt look he couldn't keep out of his eyes. He instead looked directly in front of him, meeting Vancha's gaze. His older brother looked at him steadily, and Gannen had a feeling the vampire prince knew exactly how he was feeling. When they were little the two had shared a very strong connection, even going as far as to know what the other was thinking, and Gannen was somewhat glad to realize that, even though hundreds of years had gone by, and the two had gone their separate ways, the connection between them was as strong as ever. Hopefully in the near future they could get to repairing their broken bond.

"So, are you with me?" Steve asked the vampaneze harshly, silencing the low whispers that had started.  
To end the war, to end the insanity and unnecessary fighting and killing that had been bestowed upon their clan since Steve became Lord of the Vampaneze. Azar almost smiled. It seemed too good to be true. If this was really going to happen, he wouldn't have to watch his friends die one by one anymore, as they had when facing off against the hunters. There was no way he was ready to forgive Darren, Vancha, Harkat, and that other vampire (Azar couldn't remember his name) for what they had done, but maybe in working with them he could stop the bloodshed that had steadily increased. Though he didn't agree at all with Steve loving that vampire, who he wouldn't learn to like for quite a while along with the other two, he wanted this to end, and if that meant joining the vampires, then so be it. "I'm in," he said quietly, and Gannen nodded his approval.

"Good," the vampaneze lord protector murmured, brushing away a stand of crimson hair from his eyes. "Now who else?"

"I… guess I will," came a voice from a vampaneze, and another nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Why the hell not, if it's the only way to keep from being killed," another one muttered.

Suddenly there was a crash and a lamp next to the door fell to the ground. "I can't believe you all are fucking agreeing to this!" came a loud, disapproving voice, and they all turned.

"Clyde," Gannen frowned, standing up and moving so he was facing the vampaneze that had returned to the room. "I suggest you stop these outbursts." He slid a knife from his back pocket (it was amazing he hadn't gotten stabbed in the behind while sitting down) and looked steadily at Clyde.

The muscular, short-haired vampaneze glared at Gannen, but his gaze seemed to waver somewhat. "They're our fuckin' enemies! Can't you see that? Why are you siding with them?"

Before Gannen could answer, however, Steve stood and stepped in front of Gannen, facing his (former?) follower. Clyde stepped back a step unconsciously, fear evident in his eyes. He was a tough, determined man, who was known to never back down in battle. To see fear in the eyes of such a man was extremely unusual.

"W-why?" Clyde stammered, at a loss for words as he looked at his lord, who was glaring at him steadily.

"Because, this is the only way I could be with the one I love," Steve said fiercely, and Clyde gaped at him stupidly. His lord? In _love? _Was he hallucinating? Did those words really come from Steve's mouth?

"To do that we must stop this war," Steve continued, not waiting for Clyde to reply. "And I will do anything it takes to make it happen."

These last words leaked of determination and warning, and Clyde knew if he dared disobey he would be killed where he stood. The vampaneze held great respect for his lord, having known that Steve would lead the vampaneze to victory over the vampires, the vampires he hated with his very soul. The vampires who had killed his lover. Could he still respect his lord now, even after what had just been said? He remembered when it had first been announced that the vampaneze lord had been found, all the cheering and rejoicing that had occurred. How he had pledged, right then, that he would do anything the lord ever asked. How, if he ever got the chance, he would follow his lord anywhere. How, when he had been chosen to be one of the lord's special guards, that he would fight and die for him. His admiration only grew over time, as he soon found that Steve was everything he'd hoped for. But now, would he still follow?

He met Steve's eyes, and, without even knowing it, said "You can count on me."

Steve nodded in satisfaction, and went to sit back down beside Darren. Gannen proceeded to clean up the shards of glass from the lamp Clyde had knocked over, and when he was done, and extra chairs had been gotten, they all sat down to discuss their strategy. Before they had a change, however, a rage-filled howl came from the doorway.

"DARREN SHAN! YOU WILL DIE!"

* * *

**A/N:** I may have mentioned it before, but I might have Vancha or Gannen or both get together with someone. I feel bad since Larten died and Steve loves Darren instead of Gannen. Any ideas? I thought Vancha/Azar would be cute.

I want to thank all of my fans for being so suportive. It's great to see so many people like my writing. Anyway, hopefully chapter 12 will be out soon!

Review please! I'd love to hear what you think, especially reguarding new couples. Hope ya liked it!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks for all your comments on the last chapter! It's nice to know your ideas on pairings =) While I didn't do a lemon for this chapter, there will certainly be one for the next. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"They did what?" The horrified voice rang out through the hall of princes, making generals cringe in their seats.

"S-Sire, please calm down," one general pleaded, but it was in vain.

"I can't believe this," came the enraged voice again, as Mika Ver Leth began pacing back and forth in front of the thrones.

"I assure you, it is quite true," came a smooth voice that sent chills down everyone's spines. "Vancha March and Darren Shan have indeed joined the vampaneze along with Harkat Mulds."

_This in completely insane, _Arrow thought from his throne as he listened to Mr. Tiny. _To think that __two princes__ would betray us... It is unheard of!_

Mr. Tiny had arrived at Vampire Mountain less than half an hour ago, and wasted no time in marching to the throne room and telling Mika and Arrow about what the other two princes were up to.

Arrow's eyes narrowed. This _was_ Mr. Tiny who was talking. He wasn't the most reliable source, plus he wanted war between the vampires and vampaneze. "Show me proof," the vampire prince said quietly, and a few generals gasped in what could either be admiration or fear at Arrow having told Mr. Tiny that. Talking back the small man in rain boots wasn't encouraged for fear the roof over your head would collapse, or something worse.

Mr. Tiny frowned at Arrow, but seemed not to be too upset, for a minute later, a small, round orb, like a crystal ball, appeared in the palm of his hand. There was dead silence in the hall as Mika and Arrow slowly came forward to look closely into the orb. There, clear as anything, were Darren, Vancha, and Harkat sitting in a room with what were no doubt vampaneze. The two princes didn't seem at all afraid or even uncomfortable, so it was obvious they were there on their own free will, not taken hostage or anything.

Mika's face was death white, even paler than usual as he stepped away from Mr. Tiny and proceeded back to his throne, sitting down with a thump.

Arrow felt his rage growing as he stared into the orb. There were two princes, talking with the enemy. The very vicious beings that had killed the one he loved more than anything. His hands were clenched into fists as he sat down in the throne beside Mika. "We must do something. Quickly."

* * *

All eyes in the room turned to the doorway, where a large, purple-faced being with a giant scowl on his bearded face stood, glaring daggers at Darren.

"_You_… I will kill you, dammit!"

The man charged into the room, knife in hand, heading straight for Darren. Before he could reach him, however, Gannen was in front of Darren, an exasperated look on his face. One enraged vampaneze was enough for the day; he didn't want to have to deal with another. "Enough, R.V.," he said, easily taking the knife from him. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you. If you know what's good for you, you will stay away from the vampires and Little Person."

The protector of the Vampaneze Lord knew R.V. would never want to join with the vampires, not after what Darren had done to him so many years ago, but he also knew R.V. was a weak man, someone who wouldn't want to be left alone. And, if his hunch was right, he knew R.V. wouldn't put up a fight against the vampaneze.

As expected, R.V. took a step back, though he was still glaring ferociously at Darren. "What the hell are vampires doing here, man? They're evil!"

"Clyde will explain it all," Gannen said warily, not wanting to go through everything again.

Clyde glared at his superior, but grabbed R.V. by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be all right alone?" Arrow asked as he watched Mika sharpen one of his many knives.

"Yes," Mika replied firmly. "There are already many vampires out fighting. We need the rest to stay here and guard the mountain. And if I run into trouble, I can always hook up with a few already out somewhere along the way. But it's not likely. I wasn't made a prince for nothing, after all." Mika cracked a small, tight smile, a very rare thing for him, especially considering the circumstances. "Well, I best be off now." The raven-haired prince sheathed his knife and held his hand out to Arrow.

"Even in death may you be triumphant," Arrow said gravely, shaking Mika's hand firmly. Then he watched as his best friend, the last faithful prince besides him left, hoping with all his heart this wouldn't be the last time he'd see him alive.

* * *

One night later and Mika was still trudging through muddy wetlands. He had flit for a while, but then grew too tired and had to walk. After Mr. Tiny had shown him and Arrow the proof that Darren and Vancha had indeed betrayed the vampires, the two remaining princes decided they must stop them as soon as possible, thus sending out Mika. He was supposed to just talk to Darren and Vancha at first, try to reason them and get them back on the side of the vampires, and if that didn't work he would start to get rough. However, at the moment Mika was in no mood to just talk. Rage flowed through him, and it was all he could do to stop from punching a tree. He just couldn't believe Vancha and Darren would betray the vampires like that! But there was no other explanation.

Mika began to walk quicker, eager to get to the vampaneze's hideout. He had checked to see where Vancha and Darren were through the stone of blood, and he was glad to find it wasn't too far off. At least not too far for a vampire. He should reach the place somewhere around 5-7 hours from now.

* * *

It had been a long night for Darren, Vancha, Harkat, and the vampaneze. In the end they had decided to begin searching for vampires and vampaneze to try to convert to their side. Darren knew it wouldn't be easy, but they needed to start somewhere. Besides, if they couldn't convince regular vampires and vampaneze to join them, how in the world would they convince the vampire generals and two remaining princes?

The other princes. This was something that had been worrying Darren for a long time. Out of everyone, Mika and Arrow would no doubt be the hardest of all to convince. He hated to think of the looks on their faces when they learned about what was going on. They'd probably learn before Darren had the chance to tell them too, since the other vampires would surely report back to them what was going on. But not yet. There were a few more days before Darren and the others set off on their mission, a few days to relax and think over what they were going to do, and for that Darren was grateful. Even though it did make him extremely nervous.

"You're still awake?" came a sleepy voice from next to him, and Darren rolled over to face Steve, who was looking at him with sleepy eyes. Damn, he was sexy when he was tired!

"I was just thinking over what's going to happen," Darren said quietly, reaching out and brushing a strand of white, silky hair out of Steve's eyes. He moved closer to Steve in the Vampaneze Lord's large, cushy coffin and wrapped his arms around his lover, who yawned and rested his head on Darren's shoulder. Gannen had offered to get Darren his own coffin, but the half-vampire refused, wanting to be as close to Steve as possible.

"You should get some sleep," Steve murmured, snuggling against Darren.

"I will," Darren replied, moving to kiss Steve's cheek softly. "I love you, Steve."

Steve smiled sleepily and returned the kiss. "Right back at ya. Now sleep."

Darren nodded, eyes closing. Within minutes he was asleep arms still tightly wrapped around his love.

* * *

"You'd think there would at least be a dear somewhere," Clyde muttered as he walked through the forest, grumbling under his breath. Dusk had just come, and, on Gannen's request, he set out (not exactly willingly) to hunt for food for the vampanze and (oh joy) the vampires.

"_Someone has to do it," Gannen said firmly, staring into Clyde's eyes. "Everyone else is still resting, so it's your job."_

_Clyde wanted to ask why Gannen himself couldn't do it, but held his tongue reluctantly. He knew causing a fight wouldn't be the best thing to do, and so he set off seconds later, knife in hand. _

"Where the fuck are all the animals?" Clyde cursed, sniffing the air deeply. "There must be something here!" Kicking at the ground, he changed direction and started walking to the east, sniffing all the way. "Dammit, where are-"

Clyde stopped in his tracks, sniffing hard. He smelled something all right, but it certainly wasn't an animal. _Vampire. _Slowly he began walking forward again, the smell getting stronger with each and every step. Yep, there was no doubt about it, it was a vampire.

* * *

A vampaneze. Mika's eyes narrowed as he walked cautiously in the direction of the scent, being careful not to make a sound. Finally, someone to kill. Drawing a knife out of his coat, he stood still, waiting, then threw the knife silently into the darkness.

After a few seconds, Mika frowned. He hadn't heard any grunting in pain, nor the sound of the knife hitting the ground. So what-

"Got ya!"

Mika didn't have time to think as he was tackled to the ground by a well-muscled vampaneze.

So the man had caught the knife; pretty good, Mika observed. But he wasn't a prince for nothing. With an act of pure strength, the raven-haired vampire threw the vampaneze off him and was on his feet in an instant. Drawing a short sword, he longed at the vampaneze, but it was met with another sword.

"Give up," the vampaneze growled, a smirk on his face. "You'll never win."

But Mika was never one to give up. He jumped backwards, only to move quickly behind the vampaneze and slash at him again, this time managing to make a gash on his back.

The vampaneze roared in pain, fire in his eyes, and seemed to go completely berserk, stabbing at Mika at an alarmingly fast rate. It was all the prince could do to block the attacks, and he was tiring quickly.

Suddenly, before Mika could move to block him, the vampaneze had smashed him into a tree, making his head pound, and stabbed him deep in the chest.

Pain raced through him, and his knife dropped from his hand as Mika reached to cover the wound, blood pouring onto the ground. Dizzily he tried to lean against the tree, but his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. "No… it can't end like… this. I must… stop…." Then everything went black.

* * *

Clyde studied the vampire below him lying in a pool of blood, breathing shallowly. He wanted nothing more than to give him one last, satisfying stab, but was stopped at the thought of Steve. Steve wouldn't want him to kill this vampire, he knew, as much as it disgusted him. He would want to try and bring the vampire over to their side. Oh, how his lord had changed, and though Clyde hated this change, he respected his Lord more than anything.

And so, with Steve on his mind, he lifted the limp vampire in his arms and began carrying him toward the mansion. Maybe Steve would reward him.

* * *

The knock on the door startled Gannen and made him almost drop the toast in his hand. It was still early evening, so no one else was up yet except for him and Clyde, who still hadn't returned yet.

_Maybe it's him_, the vampaneze thought, getting up and walking to the door. Though why he'd bother knocking Gannen didn't know. Clyde was the rude, obnoxious type that would barge right in, even if it wasn't his house.

As he opened the door, Gannen found that it was indeed Clyde, though he certainly didn't expect him to be carrying a bloody vampire. Waiting until Clyde got in, Gannen closed the door and stared at the other vampaneze wordlessly, question in his eyes.

"It attacked me," Clyde said simply, dropping the vampire on the floor. Gannen cringed at the thud. He still wasn't completely awake.

"Get it off the floor," Gannen replied, watching in distaste as blood began to soak into the carpet. The lovely beige carpet!

"Well where the hell do you want me to put it? The couch?" Clyde growled, lifting the vampire and glaring at Gannen.

No, not the couch! Not the beautiful, pure white couch!

"NO!"

Clyde blinked at Gannen, wondering what the other vampaneze was getting so worked up about. "You take it then!" Clyde muttered, thrusting the vampire at Gannen, who jumped backward, nearly knocking over a lamp.

There could be no blood or anything dirty whatsoever on the perfectly pressed navy blue suit!

"Take him down to the basement." Gannen replied, trying to sound as calm as possible despite having almost gotten vampire blood on his month old suit. "There are cells down there with bars you can put it in. It looks like prisoners used to be kept down there a while ago." Gannen had discovered this about a week ago while looking for stain remover after one of the vampaneze spilled ketchup on a sheet. (The pretty flowered sheet!)

"Bandage his wounds and stay with him. When he wakes up he may try and attack again, so watch him closely." Gannen walked over to a drawer and pulled out one of many keys. "Lock him in."

"What? Why do I have to stay with him?"

"Because you're the one who did this to him."

"But he would have killed me otherwise!"

"I don't care. Now go. He's dripping blood all over the carpet."

Muttering to himself, Clyde stalked out of the room, leaving Gannen mumbling something about 'the beautiful carpet!'.

* * *

Once in a cell, Clyde lay the vampire down on a bed and locked the door behind him, in case the man woke and tried to get away or something while he was bandaging his wounds. Not very likely, but still.

Cursing under his breath, Clyde began to strip the vampire of the upper half of his clothes, until his chest was bare and the wound could be seen clearly. Dipping a cloth into a bucket of water, he ran it over the wound, attempting to clear away some of the blood. Much to Clyde's relief, it had stopped flowing on its own, not all that surprising since vampires were fast healers.

There was a low moan from the vampire under him, and Clyde froze as the man shifted. A minute went by though and the vampire moved no more, so Clyde proceeded to bandage the wounds best he could. As he stood up straight, finished, he found himself unable to move, only able to stare down, transfixed, at the unconscious vampire. Long, silky raven hair rested on pale, milky shoulders, the vampire's muscled chest moving slowly up and down as he breathed deeply. His skin… was it possible for skin to be that beautiful, that creamy? Was it really as soft as it looked?

As if possessed, Clyde reached over, hand slowly brushing the vampire's cheek.

Dark, piercing hawk-like eyes opened.

Startled, Clyde tore his hand away and jumped back, jostling a table and knocking it into the bars of the cell.

The table the key was on.

Clyde lunged toward the brass key as it fell, but was too late. It fell through the bars, just out of his reach, and landed with a clank on the floor on the other side.

Fuck. He was locked in a cell with a vampire who no doubt wanted to kill him.

A vampire whose dark eyes bore into him like daggers.

A vampire of beauty unlike anything he had ever seen.

And he didn't even have any toast.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't think I did to well on this chapter, at least compared to some of the other chapters. I don't do well at all with fight scenes. I feel kind of bad that Clyde won against Mika so easily. It wasn't really how I had planned it, but I didn't know how to make it better.

The only pairing that is definite is Darren/Steve at the moment; anything can happen with the others, though I have some ideas. Also, I may make an OC vampaneze.

Please tell me what you think; I love reviews! ^_^


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Yes, I finally updated. I simply had no muse, no idea what to do and where to go with this story whatsoever. Now I think I know where to go next, which means more frequent updates. I hope people still read this story. I thank you so, so much for all the comments and favorites. It really means a lot to me to know people enjoy this. I hope you continue to.**

**With this chaper I tried something a bit different, more of a character building thing other than moving foreword much with the plot. Next chaper though, there will be some big changes.**

**Warning: This chaper is rated T+ to mild M. **

If there was anything worse than ketchup on a freshly washed flowered sheet, it was blood on a pure white carpet. Long after Clyde had left with Mika did Gannen stand there, at a complete loss of what to do. He ended up with nothing, which made him even more stressed, and thus decided to take his frustration out on the next person who walked in, which happened to be Azar.

"What in bloody hell?" Azar exclaimed as he was thrown across the room the minute he walked in, slamming into a wall. Before he could collect himself, a crazed Gannen shoved him to the ground, tearing at his skin, fists colliding with his body.

Azar, though he was extremely confused by all this, wasn't just going to let the other vampaneze beat him up.

The two men wrestled around for a bit, more blood getting spilled on the pure white carpet, but Gannen didn't even notice anymore. Hair was pulled at, nails ripping clothes and skin, heavy panting filling the room.

They went on like this for a bit, as only creatures of the night could, until Gannen, though he hadn't showed any sign of being tired, simply collapsed on top of Azar. His body shook with sobs, a hand clutching at the carpet beneath them, and Azar just lay there, frozen, as the Vampaneze Lord's protector cried into his shoulder.

No, Gannen wasn't completely losing it because of the blood on the rug. It was true he disliked that very much, but it was nothing compared to Steve being with that... that... _brat_!

Oh, sure, he'd _tried _to accept it. Tried to be glad Steve was happy. He told himself that was all that counted, Steve's happiness.

And, well, of _course_, he wanted Steve to be happy... without Darren. Maybe if it was with another vampaneze he could really accept it, but he simply could not get over how his lord chose this vampire over him. How he chose the boy who was supposed to be his rival over him.

It seemed Gannen could simply not bring himself to be completely selfless. He wanted Steve in his arms, wanted to kiss and touch him, to tell him how much he loved him, to _show _him. He wished to make love with him, to be with him, to _have _him.

Maybe it was true Gannen wouldn't do anything about Steve's relationship with Darren, but, at this moment, the vampaneze couldn't lie to himself anymore. Everyone needed a rest at some point, and Gannen hadn't had a rest. He wasn't over Steve, and probably wouldn't be for a while. In another hour he would pretend to be agan, help Steve and Darren, but for now, he just needed some time to be himself. _Completely_.

"I'm sorry," Azar murmured, awkwardly stroking Gannen's hair. He didn't know what the hell he was apologizing for, but he had a hazy idea of why Gannen was upset. It wasn't like he didn't see the way Gannen looked at their lord, the way his eyes always lit up when Steve was around. All the vampaneze (except the rather dense ones like R.V.) could see it. Hell, even Clyde could, and that vampaneze wasn't exactly known for his intelligence.

Azar didn't know how it felt to experience what Gannen did; he'd never been in a similar situation himself, but could guess it would be pretty painful. To have the one you love so much not return your feelings and be with another person right in front of you... Must be bloody awful.

He wished he could do something for Gannen, who had been a good friend and led the vampaneze when Steve went into one of his insane moods. Without Gannen, God knows where the vampaneze would be now.

Azar glanced at Gannen, whose sobs had quieted, then finally stopped. To his surprise, Gannen was staring down at him oddly. As a final tear made its way down the vampaneze's face, he grabbed Azar by the shoulders, lips suddenly connecting with his.

Gannen didn't notice Azar's stunned eyes, hell, he hardly even knew who it was! The other vampaneze wasn't moving, wasn't resisting (probably from shock). Gannen's eyes closed as he kissed Azar vigorously, hands moving over his clothed chest. And as he did this, he began to lose whatever sense of reality he had left.

Finally the other vampaneze began to move, kissing him back, and Gannen's heart lept. He wanted him, Steve really wanted him! Steve was responding to his kisses, running his fingers through his hair! Eyes still closed, Gannen ran his lips over the other man's neck, pressing soft kisses to the tender skin, hearing breathy gasps and moans from beneath him. Steve's voice was so beautiful.

The Vampaneze Lord's main guard felt hands running over his back, slipping under his shirt and caressing his skin, and Gannen couldn't help but moan softly. The hands were like magic.

In a few moments, their positions had changed and Gannen was lying on his back, arms wrapped around the other man's neck. "I'm yours, my Lord," he murmured, panting softly. "Forever yours... do what you wish with me, Steve..."

There was a pause then, hesitancy. Azar stared down at Gannen, wondering what in the world he should do. He couldn't help giving in when Gannen kissed him, even taking it further. He wanted to comfort him, and, he had to admit, the other vampaneze did kiss pretty well. But could he really continue this, really keep on letting Gannen believe he was Steve? Would the other really feel better afterwards, or, in fact, worse? Before he could decide however, Gannen had pulled him down in another searing kiss.

Relieved that "Steve" was responding again, Gannen took the other man's hand, guiding it downward until it pressed against the bulge in his pants. He let it go, breaking the kiss to run his tongue along the edge of an ear. He felt the man shudder above him, then the hand on his pants begin to stroke slowly.

The increased pressure on his clothed member, along with the friction, made Gannen let out a moan, arching upwards against the hand, wanting so much more of the touch. "Nng... Steve," he murmured, heart beating rapidly. "More... please, more..." Just as the hand was moving up towards the button of his pants, a loud shattering was heard, then vulgar cursing.

Startled, Azar quickly rolled off Gannen, and both looked to see Vancha standing there, a glass broken in front of him (and cranberry juice staining that poor carpet), staring at them. The vampire coughed, quickly averting his eyes, sunburned face looking more red than usual.

"I... sorry..." Vancha mumbled at his feet, shifting. "I didn't... see much... just came to talk to Gannen... err... sorry, brother!" The vampire quickly turned on his heel and ran out of the room, leaving the two to stare after him.

A moment later, Gannen's eyes flickered to Azar, who he found was staring back at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry too," Azar murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

Azar. It was Azar, Azar whose hands had caressed him, who's lips touched his, not Steve's. It had never been Steve's. Would never be.

Gannen, breathing heavily, stood silently, eyes no longer on the other vampaneze, and made his way out the door, leaving Azar feeling incredibly horrible with himself.

"Damnit!" A yellow rain boot hit the pavement once, then three more times. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!" This was what one would call a temper tantrum, usually performed by little kids, but this time there was a grown and rather odd adult having one.

"I should have known not to trust the vampires with this," Mr. Tiny muttered, shaking his head in rage. "They're practically useless! If you want a job done right, do it yourself!" And that was just what Mr. Tiny would do.

After finding out Mika had failed in convincing Darren and Vancha to come back and make them believe the vampaneze were enemies, he realized he had to do something quickly, or risk everything falling apart.

Thus, after the tantrum, the short man in rain boots traveled a couple miles, completely ripped the door off of the vampaneze's current hideout, and stalked inside.

A random vampaneze who had been standing near the door when it got torn off stared for a moment, mouth open in shock, then quickly drew a knife, running at Mr. Tiny. Of course, things didn't go as he wanted them to, and the poor vampaneze found himself thrown clean through a wall and landed about sixteen miles away, on top of a startled cow that had been leisurely eating hay.

Stout men in rain boots that could pass for grandfathers and rip doors off their hinges were obviously more dangerous than they appear.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I've re-done chapters 1-3 a bit, correcting some things and adding more detail. I'm planning on doing the others tomorrow but wanted to get this chapter up first.**

**This is more like a mini-chapter to catch up on the other characters (and build up the suspense). Oh, and it has sexual content. Enjoy~!**

**x x x**

"Do you think everything's okay?" Darren asked as he stared out the upstairs window of his and Steve's room at the approaching dusk. "I heard some loud noices downstairs... it sounded kinda like fighting."

"Tch. There's nothing to worry about, they're always fighting," Steve replied, completely unconcerned. The Vampaneze Lord lay with his head on a satin pillow, the top half of his body in his coffin, legs out. His feet also had a satin pillow, which luckily stayed clean since Steve had the sense to take his shoes off. This was something his friend never used to do when they were younger, Darren noted, showing that the other had matured at least a little.

"Come back to the coffin," Steve whined, putting down the magazine he was reading (Clothing of the Night) and pouting at the young vampire. "I'm cold. And I swear, nothing's wrong down there."

Nodding reluctantly, Darren returned, sitting down next to Steve. "The other princes are going to find out about this soon," Darren said quietly, completely unaware that they already knew. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"Damn, you worry way too much," Steve muttered, rolling his eyes. "You haven't changed a bit."

Darren wanted to protest, but couldn't really think of a good enough argument for it. He must have changed in some ways, besides the more obvious ones, right?

"When they find out, we'll just slash them to pieces," Steve murmured, grinning sadistically. "Watch all that vampire blood stream out, cut them open and stab through their hearts again and again..."

"Steve!" Darren glared at his love, shaking his head. Still the same bloodthirsty beast, it seemed.

"Kidding, kidding," Steve smirked, running his fingers through his long silver hair. "Kind of."

Darren sighed, closing his eyes. He wished Steve would completely let go of his hatred for vampires. It would make things so much easier for them both.

"Lighten up!" the Vampaneze Lord exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the brunette. "We still have time to figure out what to do. We have all the time in the world."

Darren wasn't so sure about that, in fact, he had a nagging suspicion Steve was dreadfully wrong, but decided to let it go for now. Steve was right, he was being too uptight. He needed to relax and enjoy the time he had with his love before things got more complicated.

Smirking, the Vampire Prince suddenly pounced on Steve, who let out a small sqeak of surprise. He proceeded to press his lips to those of the Vampaneze Lord, kissing him sofly at first, then harder, deeper. His hands slid under the other's shirt, caressing the smooth porcelain skin.

"Mmm, what's gotten into you tonight?" Steve murmured, breaking the kiss to remove his shirt, tossing it carelessly behind him. He had never been too concerned about neatness or wrinkles. "You're so... dominant."

"Oh, so you think _you're _the only one who can be dominant?" Darren replied, raising an eyebrow. "I _am _a vampire, after all."

"Yeah, but-" Steve's words turned into a soft moan as Darren ran his tongue teasingly over a nipple before taking it into his mouth.

"I love that... I love when you make those sounds," Darren whispered seductively, moving a hand downward until it was pressing against the Vampaneze Lord's inner thigh, softly rubbing against the fabric.

"Darren..."

"I'm going to make love to you, right here, right now," the Vampire Prince murmured, caressing Steve's leg. "Any protests?"

Silence.

"Didn't think so."

In about a minute they were both completely undressed, staring at each other's bodies in all their naked glory. They never got tired of seeing each other like this.

"Tell me if it hurts," Darren murmured as he slowly pushed a lubed finger into the Vampaneze Lord.

Steve tensed, but didn't say anything. There was pain, yes, but he'd felt pain before. It was nothing he couldn't take and he certainly wasn't going to make a spectacle of himself because of it. Another finger was added and they scissored, stretching him widely. Steve couldn't help but let out a loud moan as one brushed against something inside him, sending tingles down his spine.

"There?" With a wicked smirk, Darren massaged both fingers against that spot, making Steve shudder and press against them, wanting more. Darren waited, watching as the Vampaneze Lord rocked against his fingers again, teasing him until he was practically fucking himself on them.

Steve let out a whine of protest when Darren pulled away, only to gasp softly when the prince pressed the tip of his erection to his entrance.

"Ready?"

Steve nodded, taking a deep breath, and before he knew it, Darren had pushed all the way into him and paused, letting him adjust.

It was a lot bigger than the fingers, that was for sure, and Steve's breath came in sharp gasps as he tried to deal with the pain. "Move," he hissed, wanting to feel, to feel it all, including pain.

Darren nodded hesitantly, pulling back out before thrusting in again. They soon developed a rhythm, Steve meeting the thrusts halfway.

The Vampaneze Lord groaned, panting heavily as Darren began to hit that spot inside him with each thrust, harder and harder every time. The Vampire Prince grasped Steve's length, beginning to pump in time with the thrusts, adding to the silver haired man's pleasure.

"F-fuck! Darren!" Steve cried out as he was hit by an intense sensation, nerves on fire, and shuddered his release, head thrown back, long silky hair falling everywhere.

The tightening walls against his member, added with the incredible, pleasured look on the Vampaneze Lord's face and Steve's amazing, bewitching beauty made Darren follow soon after, coming with a cry of Steve's name.

**x x x**

Down in the dungeon, Clyde had Mika pinned against the bed so the Vampire Prince was unable to move. Even if he wasn't trapped, however, Mika was unsure if he could move. The amount of blood he'd lost made him feel weak still, though much of his wounds had healed.

The raven haired man had no idea where he was. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the vampaneze he'd fought earlier staring down at him uneasily. He had no idea why the other would be uneasy, since he really couldn't put up any kind of fight now. Maybe he was just the overly cautious type.

"I'm not going to fight," Mika muttered, glaring up at Clyde with his piercing hawk eyes. "Would you mind stepping away from me? I can't breathe with you pinning me down like that."

Instead of raising himself up and away from the other, Clyde moved down.

Closer.

Closer.

Too close.

Close enough so that his lips now pressed against Mika's in a rough kiss.

**x x x**

At Gannen's call, the vampires, Little Person, and vampaneze (minus Clyde and Mika who were still trapped in that basement cell, and who Gannen completely forgot about anyway) were gathered in the living room, sitting on the couches, chairs, floor, and even tables, resulting in a knocked over china lamp. Their faces were all pale, even the vampaneze's purple skin holding a much whiter tint.

The stout man who had shoved a vampaneze off the armchair he now sat in, stared intensely at each of them, his gaze making them shiver, and, in some cases, tremble.

Finally, his eyes came to rest on Darren and Steve, who sat on a couch. Darren's hands were clammy and shaking, and Steve's jaw was set indignantly, though his heart pounded in his chest.

"Alright, boys, here's the deal."

**x x x**

**A/N: Well, that actually turned out longer than I thought it would. I hope the sex scene didn't seem too rushed.**

**Reviews are much appreciated, as well as constructive criticism. Thanks so much for reading and the next chapter shall be up shortly! (:**


	15. Chapter 15

"Create enough entertainment for me and I may leave you alone for another few years."

Silence. Both Steve and Darren, along with Vancha, Harkat, and all the vampaneze in the room simply stared at Mr. Tiny as if he was a grilled cheese sandwich that had just started singing _Mary Had a Little Lamb_.

"Enough... entertainment?" Darren finally spoke out, confused. "What exactly do you mean by-"

"You've got to fucking be kidding me!" Steve's voice, loud and shrill, cut Darren off. "'Another few years?' No way! No way in hell is that good enough!" He felt Darren's hand on his, calming, comforting, but that didn't do anything for his rage. "You expect me to actually accept something as shitty as that? Have you lost your-"

Gasps were heard throughout the room. Steve's face was deathly pale, eyes bulging as he felt cold, rough, evil hands on his neck. He hadn't even seen Mr. Tiny move. No one had.

"I could kill you right now," Mr. Tiny purred, voice dangerous as he stared deep into the Vampaneze Lord's ice blue eyes. "I can end this right now with a twist of my hand. Is that what you want?"

Gasping for breath, Steve shook his head the best he could with Mr. Tiny's hands around his neck.

"Very well then. That was your warning. You only get one." Once the hands were removed, Steve, practically hyperventilating by this point, buried his head in his hands. He was unable to focus anymore on anything, and just wanted to be out of here, far, far away from the man in rain boots. Alarmed, Darren wrapped his arms around his love, whispering soothing things in his ear and trying to calm him.

"What do you mean by 'enough entertainment?'" Gannen finished where Darren had left off, eyes narrowed at Mr. Tiny. He was just itching to go over there and slit the man's throat for what he did to Steve.

There was a smash as a vase fell over, Mr. Tiny's fault probably, since he was the only one in that area. "Oh, you know. A handful of terrorist attacks, couple of erupting volcanoes, few wars, the domination of skunks..."

Gaping at the old man, Gannen put a hand to his forehead. He felt a headache coming on. "That is simply... not possible."

"Oh?" Mr. Tiny raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. "Since you put it that way..." There was a loud crash, and, faster than anyone could see, the couch Steve and Darren were on split right down the middle. The two crashed onto the ground, and, for a split second, they were separated. That was as long as it took.

Opening his hand which had been in his pocket, Mr. Tiny revealed a small purple box, the lid falling open. From the box came cascading orange smoke, smoke that decended on Steve, whirling around the stunned half-vampaneze.

"Wh- what are you doing?" Came Darren's gasping voice, among with many alarmed shouts of the vampaneze. He reached over, planning to pull Steve out of the smoke. Not happening. As soon as his hand was at the edge, about to enter, it stopped. Not because Darren made it, but because it had hit something solid, something that would not budge. There was no sign of anything there. Nothing to be seen surrounding Steve but the smoke. Then why...

Darren tried again, pushing against the weight with all his might, but to no avail. Mr. Tiny's cackling laugh could be heard through the room, and Darren turned to him furiously. "What did you do?"

There was a hint of a smirk on the old man's face. "Oh, nothing really. Simply an old, very easy trick. And now, let me show you one more." With a snap of his fingers, the smoke seemed to fly into Steve. The half-vampaneze's eyes, which had been staring at him in panic, went blank. His body froze, then toppled over. The smoke retreated then, back into the box along with something that couldn't be made out, and Mr. Tiny let out a loud chortle.

"Steve!" Darren dropped to his knees beside his love and stared down at him. He was completely unaware that some vampaneze had rushed over and were talking loudly, frantically.

"What happened to him?" Gannen demanded, face contorted with rage as he glared at the short old man.

"Oh, I simply split his soul in two," Mr. Tiny replied with a grin. "Steve Leonard is only half the person he was before. In this box I hold the kind part of his soul. Right now, all the love is gone from him. When he awakens he won't have loving feelings for Darren, or any of you for that matter. He'll only be a destructive beast, filled with rage and hatred. With these feelings he will destroy everything and everyone in sight. Whether you're a vampire or vampaneze doesn't matter to him. You're all doomed."

Mr. Tiny laughed, a cold, cruel laugh. "Unfortunately though, the process of tearing his soul apart has done a significant amount of damage and it will be a week until he heals enough to begin his task: ultimate world destruction."

Smirking, his eyes met Darren's, who stared back at him in utter horror. "This is your fault, you know. Yours and his. Had you stayed enemies like you were supposed too, at least one of your clans would have triumphed. But now, vampires and vampaneze will both fall, along with the entire human race. Are you happy, boy? Are you proud of what you have done?" Not giving Darren a chance to answer, Mr. Tiny strode toward the door, knocking a poor vampaneze into a glass window (which shattered) in the process. Turning, he gave them one last wave. "Oh, and don't even think about fighting him and killing him," he called, dashing the hopes of several vampaneze. "It's simply not possible. With this hatred he has comes pure strength. Strength you can't even begin to have." Then, with a chuckle that seemed to echo through the room, he exited the building.


	16. Author's Note

**A/N:** I just wanted to say that this part of the story is officially finished. I'm writing a sequel, _Trials of Love_, the first chapter which I just posted a few minutes ago. Hope you enjoyed this part!


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